Bangalore-based US Pizza Restaurants, which sells the fast food under the brand name US Pizza, will invest more than Rs 500 crore (Rs 5 billion) to open over 1,000 outlets by 2011 for a pan-India expansion.US Pizza is also planning to open more than 40-45 outlets in European countries such as Norway, Sweden, Germany and France and in domestic front, it is planning to enter a new city every month as they are looking to tap new markets by entering tier-II and tier-III cities.
Pantaloon Retail (India) is planning to more than double the Big Bazaar stores to reach the 100-mark from the present 41 stores, while substantially increasing its presence in the South besides tier-II cities.
The writing was on the wall only a couple of games into the match. Patty Schnyder had come with a specific game plan and she executed it to perfection. The fourth seeded Swiss beat China's Zi Yan 6-3, 6-4 in an hour and 15 minutes to advance to the final of the WTA Tier II Bangalore Open on Saturday.
The Indian had made the first round exit at the Tier I tournament at Key Biscayne in Miami last week.
The best was saved for the last. After a day of mundane action and lopsided contests, China's Zi Yan showed tremendous grit to save three match points and oust eighth seed Maria Kirilenko in the first round of the WTA Tier II Bangalore Open on Tuesday night.
Top seed Jelena Jankovic and Venus Williams expressed disappointment with Sania Mirza's withdrawal from the Tier II Bangalore Open.
India's Isha Lakhani has been given a wild card entry to participate in the $ 600,000 Bangalore Open, kicking off in the Karnataka capital on March 3.
They beat wild cards Svetlana Kuznetsova and Amelie Mauresmo 6-4, 6-4 in the first round at the Dubai Open.
MADC is a special purpose vehicle set up by Maharashtra to execute the multi-modal hub project at Nagpur, which includes an airport and a special economic zone.
The Chicago-headquartered firm currently has 32 hotels across 20 destinations under its eight brands in India. The eight brands under the Hyatt portfolio in India are -- Hyatt, Hyatt Centric, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place, Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt, Alila and Andaz.
Swiss champion Patty Schnyder has confirmed her participation in the Bangalore Open this year.
The Reserve Bank of India on Friday allowed commercial banks to raise capital funds through issue of foreign currency debt instruments. Foreign institutional investors can invest in these instruments.
The company reportedly in talks with a dozen firms overseas for an acquisition.
Rising real estate costs and lack of good locations in cities are driving hotel companies to rent space in malls and other commercial complexes. For instance, Accor Hotels is in talks with mall developers to build its Formulae 1 brand of budget hotels at the topfloor of malls in tier I and tier II cities.
The company believes that the knowledge base of these candidates is as strong as their counterparts belonging to bigger cities. Eligibility criterion for trainees would be a minimum 60 per cent score in all the degrees attained.
The company also has plans to scale up its discount format Promart in tier-II and III cities in the country. Currently, it has a store in Ahmedabad and plans to open one in Indore.
There's plenty of room for everybody. With the demand for low-cost accommodation on the rise, a whole host of hospitality firms, both foreign and local, is planning to set up budgets hotels.
Italian marble floors, bar, modular kitchen, a state-of-the-art bathroom and a swimming pool in the backyard: luxury has just got redefined, and that too for the middle class as far as housing is concerned.
India's two top women's singles shuttlers, Saina Nehwal and P V Sindhu, have decided to skip the upcoming China Masters Super Series to be held from September 10-15.
The Indian ace beat qualifier Alesandra Wozniak 6-3, 6-2 to set up a second round clash with Martina Hingis.
The company's second largest retail presence is in Japan with 23 stores. China currently has only 2 stores, both in Hong Kong.
The company would fund the expansion through a mix of debt, equity and internal accruals.
Chennai Veerans survived anxious moments but scored a 2-1 victory in their concluding Tier II match in the Premier Hockey league.
The government has created a comprehensive budget with sharp focus on sustaining economic activity and investment but more clarity is needed on areas like taxation framework for adopting remote working on a long-term basis, IT body Nasscom said on Monday. The industry association noted that the IT/ITeS (Information Technology-enabled Services) industry has been a key driver of growth and jobs in 2020 and there is an opportunity to significantly accelerate it further. "For the IT sector, one of the biggest needs ahead of us is the development of future business models, with hybrid working becoming a reality. "We look forward for the government to provide clarity on providing a framework in direct taxes and indirect taxes for the industry to adopt WFH/remote working on a long-term basis," Nasscom said in a statement.
The tier II city of Mysore will have its first MNC when the IT department of a US retail chain, Target, opens its shop on a 21-acre land at Koorgahalli, close to Infosys Technologies.
Expressing commitment to augment the country's infrastructure, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday proposed to significantly enhance capital expenditure to Rs 5.54 lakh crore in the next fiscal, besides creating institutional structures and giving a big thrust to monetizing assets to achieve the goals of the National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP). Sitharaman said NIP, that was launched in December 2019 with 6,835 projects, has now been expanded to 7,400 projects and around 217 projects worth Rs 1.10 lakh crore under some key infrastructure ministries have been completed. "For 2021-22, I propose a sharp increase in capital expenditure and thus have provided Rs 5.54 lakh crores which is 34.5% more than the BE of 2020-21," the finance minister said.
The developers have already started feeling the pinch.
Rapid strides in digital payments notwithstanding, the Indian economy will likely remain cash-dependent for many years to come, at least that's what the automated teller machine makers and cash logistics companies are betting on. After growing at over 20 per cent for most of 2020, currency in circulation growth fell to 8.5 per cent as of October 29 this year, shows data from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The reason for the steep rise in currency last year was the uncertainties related to the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, where people preferred to hoard cash to meet exigencies.
The committee has recommended Rs 8,000-10,000, Rs 13,000-15,000, and Rs 15,000-18,000 including PPE costs for isolation beds, and ICUs with or without ventilator, respectively, to all hospitals. Currently, hospitals are charging Rs 24,000-25,000, Rs 34,000-43,000 & Rs 44,000-54,000 (excluding PPE cost).
