Indian Retail

Private Labels -how far will they go ?

2009-11-08T17:41:00.007+05:30

Private labels or store brands is nothing but term given to the retailer brands that compete with other well know brands in its category , retailers use the higher margin possibility to sell more of these brands in their mix .The private label brands have over years grown from strength to strength and also eating into shares of more prominent brands giving them nightmares in some categories already !

Walmart is estimated to have around 40 % of its sales from private labels and Tesco a whopping 50 % from private labels .A number of Indian retailers have private labels mix between 25 % to 30 % already .

But selling private labels has its own plus and minuses as if not done properly then the power of the reputed brands would be missed and the consumers might just shun your store if they don't find what they were looking for ie the famous brands . Plus quality is always a suspect with these brands ,but that normally gets offsetted by the lower prices of these brands .

Private labels also have like their famous cousins need to have a distinct USP ,it could be design , price or some offer to get themselves picked from the shelf , they do sit on a huge advantage unlike other reputed brands , in that they don't have sales , distribution and marketing cost sitting on them .At a certain stage a retailer would have to have an optimum mix of private labels and other brands ,as margins is the only driver for in store brands then

to drive higher margins from the other brands there is always a back door tussle between the retailers and the brands that keeps happening on higher margins or else the exit door !

Our maximum estimate is that almost 50 % of a retailer sales share can go upto from store brands ,and the remaining from other brands ,however this is our estimate how far can Private labels or store brands go is anybody's guess ...or difficult to estimate .

Lessons from a downturn

2009-11-01T22:41:00.008+05:30

Assuming that the downturn days are over and things are looking back , what are takes on the lessons for retailers from the downturn , these are takes ::

Don't be greedy : The mad rush for retail spaces was just led by the sheer blind leads the blind principle and in the process has led to some unwarranted locations with brands .

Remember things can be gloomy again ::straight forward lets not assume, there is no downturn again .

Don't believe the media :: this one is the key just don't believe the media , they ultimately have to sell their story right , so when the say India is shining , economy is growing , consumption story etc , pls take this with the pinch of salt as we are sure that they are not sure on what they are talking or writing about .

Value is in always , premium is in once in a while ::The downturn has clearly shown that if you are in the value play you needn't worry , however players in the premium segment have had nightmares and can continue to have it going forward .

Cost is always a priority -not only when things are down alone :: its surprising to see firms getting into major cost optimisation mode after the downturn signs , but isn't cost optimisation a normal business imperative , of course without any major business impact .

Me too wont help , where is the X factor ?:: Retailers cant be playing the me-too game , consumers are not seeing any difference , retailers need to drive the difference , maybe by service , product ,or technology .get the X factor , Indian retailers have no difference at all , whats the difference between a shoppers , lifestyle ?

Structure needed is always lean and fit :: Structure to be always slim and fit and all consumer facing units can be in house and all the other non core staff could be outsources , telecom style ?

Trust Indian retailers would learn and emerge stronger from the downturn , lets see

Retail Buzz

2009-10-25T20:50:00.004+05:30

latest and best of Indian retail articles ::

Pantaloon Retail's net up 21.11 pc to Rs 43.8 cr in Q1

Indian retail industry report

Battle For the Wallets of 500 million Indian Consumers

Localization is key to enter Indian market

Pantaloon Retail shifts focus to profitable growth

Good times are back for retailers

Strong Indian Diwali sales wipe off last year`s gloom

Big Retailers Still Struggle in India

( not an original post compiled from the web )

Diwali 365 +

2009-10-19T14:46:00.006+05:30

365 days fast forward >>from last diwali ( 365 + ) and things are not looking gloomy as it was last diwali , what say ?...looks like the economy is back on trak , now that's a complicated statement to make ,by a set of layman :) however looking at our set of indicators we have reasons to state this ,here is why ...

Sensex ..there is no stopping the sensex , 9k last diwali to 17k plus this diwali , looks like people who had the guts to get in at 9k wud have made tons of money by now , 365 days for doubling or trebling their money is not bad at all . Looks like 17k is just the pit stop , before this speeds on to a new heights .

Gold rush : Indian fascination with gold still continues , in spite of gold prices , most retailers have reported a 25 to 30 % jump in retail sales during dhante raas ,in spite of a price hike ,maybe these figures needs to be normalised for the price hike ,but it goes on to show how Indians cant do without gold m whatever the prices be .

Car sales ::An estimated 20,000 cars were delivered on Thursday 15th October nationally ( news reports ) , the highest in a single day ever.Most new car models including higher end cars are getting launched in India ,to name a few , the Chevrolet cruze , Tata manza , and the awesome BMW car priced at 99 lakhs( bata pricing less than a crore :) ) in India.

LED sales+ Big TV is in ! :: The LED and the erstwhile LCD sales in India has just taken off , its another fact that most of our acquaintances are under the consideration set or already have moved into the LED or the Big LCD space ( 40 " plus ) , we are sure this must be happening across families , most consumer durable brands had their best diwali this year in terms of growth if one were to go by the press reports figures varying from 30 - 40 % growth , again a sign that things are looking up for sure .

Not all things are looking up though , apparel sales have not hit the roof and so have the personal accessories sales , but looks like the last year diwali syndrome is thing of the past , happy days are here again , Thumbs up , to India shining again !

The Titan Way !

2009-10-11T19:18:00.010+05:30

Come diwali and there is one brand along with others that wud have its hands full this festival season ie Titan .. over years Titan has built its Segments , thru a great degree of thought and have been built on trust ,retail , marketing and design ..all the segments have been led by the undercurrent to redfine the market

Redefining the market in fact is pretty much core to Titan's success since its inception in 1987. At that time, the watch market comprised primarily mechanical watches, and the government-owned Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) was the only significant branded player. HMT's watches stood for accuracy and robustness -- and for the consumer, the sturdy watch was just a functional time-keeping device.

Titan entered the market with two key differentiators: One, it brought in quartz watches, which it promoted aggressively, and two, it introduced the element of style -- which until then was missing in this segment. There were other firsts, too, that Titan introduced in the watch market: It ushered in a completely new retail experience, brought out advertising with aspirational value and offered after sales service in a showroom environment.

With the entrance of Titan, the watch got transformed from a humble time-keeping device to a style statement and a fashion accessory.

The Brand also built upon the greyness in the market on the gold buying process and entered the jewelry market in 1994 with its Tanishq brand. Tanishq not only brought a wide design expertise and a plush retail environment to a segment which until then was limited to local family jewelers and small set ups, but by being the first to introduce the karat meter to measure the exact purity of gold, it brought the element of trust to the forefront.

In the past three years, it has doubled the number of Tanishq showrooms from 60 to around 120. Simultaneously, it is also reaching out to the semi-urban and rural markets through a separate mass-market brand called GoldPlus, which it launched around three years ago. Titan currently has 30 GoldPlus stores in South India.

Meanwhile, Titan is now looking to bring the power of the brand to yet another unorganized category: Last year it entered into prescription eyewear with Titan Eye+. The prescription eyewear market in India is estimated to be around 25 to 30 million units per annum with revenues of US$300 million and growing at around 15% to 20% per annum. As per industry statistics, only around 25% of the people who need prescription eyewear are actually using them.

Despite its size and growth potential, however, this is another industry that is largely fragmented. While there are some strong regional branded players like GKB and Lawrence & Mayo, there is no large national player in this space. It is this opening that Titan is aiming to fill with its Titan Eye+.

Like in watches and jewelry, Titan's play in eyewear is based on trust, design and retail. In the year-and-a-half since it has entered this space, Titan has opened 30 stores across 12 cities, and over the next three years it plans to open around 250 stores across the country. Unlike traditional 'across the counter' optical stores, the Titan Eye+ stores are styled on a browse, select and buy format where the customers are offered a wide range of frames and lenses comprising both in-house as well as global brands like Gucci, Armani, Essilor, Bausch & Lomb and so on. Each store also has a style consultant and a state-of-the-art optometric clinic that promises zero error prescriptions free of cost.

So watch this space , its any ones guess on which category wud Titan foray into next ,it wud have to be in the lifestyle space , or segments where the consumer is grey , cant think of many though say autos , taxis ,wines , where you don't really know what you are paying for maybe a Titan wine ! :)

Indian retail Buzz !

2009-10-04T17:05:00.005+05:30

The latest & best news/articles on Indian Retail ...

Future Group, Carrefour tie up likely

Pantaloon Retail shifts focus to profitable growth

Future Group's Mythological Marketing

'Sanity has returned to retail'

Indian retailers woo shoppers

Arvind Singhal: The challenge of commoditisation

Getting future smart

What are people buying now?

The Nature of the Bottom-of-the-Pyramid Market

( not an original post , compiled from the web )

Format galore !

2009-09-20T16:48:00.009+05:30

..come to think of it the number of formats that have evolved in India is mind boggling ,its a clear indicator that we are surely evolving as retail country .

large format stores::( shoppers stop , lifestyle,westside ,pantaloon )

value retailers:: ( big bazaar ,star bazaar ,megamart , brand factory )

eye wear retailers:: (titan eye , reliance , gkb,Lawrence &mayo )

watch retailers::( time out ,titan , timex )

jewellery retailers ::( tanishq,gitanjali lifestyle,carbon )

Indian traditional material retailers ::( fabindia )

Medical /pharma retailers ::( Apollo pharmacy ,fortis ,life kien ,life spring )

liquor retailers ::(spiritz &more )

specialty retailers ::( music world ,crossword , odyssey , reliance time out )

Mobile /Telecom retailers:: ( The Mobile store ,hotspot ,univercell,nokia exclusive stores ,hoop)

consumer durable retailers ::( ezone , croma , viveks ,host of local retailers )

e tailers ::( rediff.com,indiatimes shopping ,ebay , indiaplaza.com etc )

wholesale retailers /cash and carry :: ( metro , soon cud be walmart )

coffee retailers( cafe coffee day ,barista )

add to this there are a host of standalone brand stores and local players then u might get the picture -competition is intense , volumes is the game in any mass format , and maybe ticket size or cash memo size in the premium retail segment .

Retail Buzz

2009-09-13T14:14:00.004+05:30

Here is the latest buzz on Indian retail

Connected retail — organising the giant

Birlas plan combo strategy for more profits

Talks stall between private-equity firms, Indian retail chains

Indian Retail: In all the sizzle, where's the steak?

No Rules makes its debut in Indian market

Arvind Singhal: The challenge of commoditisation

Wal-Mart pvt labels in Bharti stores

India's Top Premium retail cities

2009-09-06T20:09:00.005+05:30

Here is some useful information which throws up some surprises for sure ....The Nielsen Upper Middle and Rich (UMAR), detailing mass and emerging media consumption, and the lifestyle habits of the affluent in Indian society. The survey covered more than 18,250 individuals across 35 Indian metros.The survey identified three segments of affluence from lifestyle and consumer durables mapping – Upper Middle, Upper-Upper Middle and Rich. The grouping was done based on the ownership of a car, a computer, an LCD television, and enjoying a holiday abroad.

Nielsen UMAR survey estimates a total of 2.5 million affluent households in India, of which 2.2 million belong to the Upper Middle segment (owning a car and a computer); and 0.2 million households belong to the Upper-Upper Middle segment (owners of a car, computer and LCD television). The Rich segment (owners of a car, computer and LCD television, and have holidayed abroad) consists of about 0.1 million households.
It says that although nearly half of the targeted consumers are schooled in English, the languages spoken at home reveal a regional bias.The survey finds that while English is the preferred language for newspapers, the television programmes watched are more in regional languages, thereby disproving a popularly held myth that the well-off are more inclined towards English programmes. The trend of reading magazines is not very high and more than six in ten individuals do not read magazines.Nine in ten affluent individuals own a house; three-quarters have a fully automated washing machine; and nearly two in five affluent individuals have a home theatre and modular kitchen.

On entertainment habits, the survey reveals that more than three in five watch movies outside home and more than half use the internet at home. Listening to the radio and watching movies out of home are high among the Rich segment. Detailing media consumption, the survey says that 98 per cent of the individuals watch TV; 70 per cent read English dailies; 67 per cent watch movies outside home; 55 per cent use the internet; 54 per cent listen to the radio; while 38 per cent and 10 per cent read magazines and English business dailies, respectively.The survey, interestingly, finds that the slowdown in the economy has had little effect on spending habits, with 40-50 per cent of the respondents saying that their expenditure on travel, luxury accessories, fuel, vehicle usage, branded garments and consumer durables has seen no change. However, spending on luxury accessories and vacations, compared to other items, has reduced.

On lifestyle, fine dining is high among this section of the society, with eight in ten individuals going out for meals often. Shopping is also a fad. Nine in ten prefer to shop at modern retail stores – articles of interest include footwear, jewellery, handbags, sunglasses, cosmetics, fragrances, pens and watches. Respondents are found visiting gymnasiums, spas and beauty parlours, with three in ten visiting a parlour or spa once a month.

The survey ranks Delhi, Bengaluru, Greater Mumbai and Chennai as the most affluent cities in India, followed by Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kochi, Pune, Jaipur and Ahmedabad, respectively .bengaluru ahead of mumbai . and cochin ahead of hyderabad are surprises !Useful for Indian retailers we guess .What abt the "mango people" though ...the aam admi !

( not an original post compiled from the web )

Is there light

2009-08-30T14:21:00.007+05:30

...at the end of tunnel for Indian retailers or is it the light of a fast moving train :) well according to us things shud be slowly but surely coming back on track here's why ::

- Sensex feel good factor , the great measurable feel good factor seems to be on its climbing ways ,consumers invested in it must have either recovered or must be visioning a recovery , a good sign

- Retail giants like Pantaloons have made statements of things looking up to pre recession levels .

-Walk into a mall u still hear the cash counters ringing at various stores , you were sometimes left wondering about recession , remember , a marginal lot of Indians pay up tax :)

Not very sure but retailers are also recruiting again it seems , though a lot of layers that existed in the structures have just vanished ,learnings from the past we guess .

The IT slowdown which hit a number of key retail cities like Bangalore , gurgaon , etc seems to be slowly but surely waning off .

Its a cycle ,things that go down have to come back up , things are slowly but surely looking up , and it looks like the light at the end of the tunnel and not of a fast moving train !

Blue Ocean in Retail

2009-08-23T17:05:00.010+05:30

We have been thrilled by the concept behind the Blue Ocean strategy wave that's hit the management circles , however on delving deeper into it one realises that this is an interesting tool one can use for -

- understanding the market opportunities , from consumer need ,how do you work on taking the willingness to pay ( WTP ) up .

-finding out who are ur NON consumers in a big way ( when was the last time that this happened ! ) by plunging into the market and see signs that open up non segments and not classical market research driven segments ( for eg : one big segment for Nintendo WII is old aged people which wud have never come out in a normal research )
-drive differentiation up and cost down .
-and in the process make competition irrelevant .
Its about Winning Without Fighting !

With this in mind lets see whether we can use the blue ocean frame work for creating India's retail blue ocean player who for sometime can make competition irrelevant ( as said blue ocean strategy the advantage if driven ..can last for minimum 2 years to max of 7 years ie in case no competition wakes up :)

The assumption is that India might have still space in creating a clear differentiators in the premium segment , the Blue ocean retailer ( BOR) could have a market and profits that could be made .

Reduce :the Blue ocean retailer needs to reduce the follow the herd mentality of going to high traffic areas where other brands go ( thus save on rentals ) and currently

all the premium operators in retail in India have the same brands ,same look and feel inside , the differentiators degree is virtually 0 ,so create the difference .

The BOR has to create an aura around you could get the non consumers currently who don't want to go to the normal premium retailers .One could create a mass customisation process of say in the apparels section of tailored to stitch and deliver ,there are more thoughts ...

Create :Create a distinct service difference which could include say faster transaction closure , guaranteed parking , no questions asked returns for several categories of customers ,personalised attention to regular customers

Raise The level of delivery of service , give the customer something to expect when he or she returns .Raise the perception higher that the customer might not hesitate to spend more thus drive the WTP up.

Eliminate : wasteful electricity spends , reduce extra staff by automation , drive innovation in getting customers in and delivering service at a lower cost , say use the word of mouth medium only to drive traffic .Cost down should be the motto ,with an eye on removing unwanted non value adding processes .

Blue Ocean retail space exists in India , as mentioned earlier ,its about locating the space ,working at the format , and also getting the equation between WTP and cost right , as they say driving the wedge between these that would be the key !

Small retail ( why me worry !)

2009-08-09T13:15:00.005+05:30

Come to think of it there was huge hue and cry when the large retailers where expanding the entire Small retail death knell was sounded and the left parties where worried about the impact , fast forward it to the current times , there has been hardly any effect on the small retailers ,is our feeling , to an extent of 95 % of your shopping still happens from the friendly neighbourhood stores .

In fact its the big boys who are in trouble as with high opex( high rentals ) and the recession economy backed with net margins which was anyways single digits wud be in stress .

The newness of shopping in a freshly painted , nicely laid out store is surely fading off , as consumers are surely realising that cost of travel savings , the one to one shopping experience , even credit that the local kirana store gives is much better than the freshness and newness of the retail players .

Unlike the wild west where shopping is a once a month visit to the big retailers , in India its almost a daily or a weekly visit , and that is more to the neighbourhood kirana stores , we wud like to have your views !So why me worry kirana stores :)

Indian Retail buzz

2009-08-02T21:19:00.006+05:30

here's the latest and best on Indian Retail:

Indian retail sector to grow by 9 pc; to touch $521 bn by 2012

India's Online Retail Saga - A Review

Foreign apparel brands fail to find the right fit

Arvind Singhal: Re-connecting with the consumer

Slowdown-hit DollarStore shuts 41 stores

Mobile handset retail is not viable in current form: industry

India: Tops the List of Emerging Retail Markets

Organized retailers seek new strategies to improve sales

Delivering better value

Company Update: Pantaloon Retail

Now, shopping online just got a lot easier

( not an original post ,complied from the web !)

Break the clutter

2009-07-26T16:46:00.004+05:30

as a consumer walks in to any large sized store , the 1st step is normally backed with some confusion ,as the consumers seeks direction , thus each good store starts with the store directory ,however this is one small step which eases the consumers .

After reaching the destination the consumer is further confused about where to find the merchandise or the item that's one is looking for he /she is inundated with items on the shelves , the biggest indicator for help at this moment is the Staff ,that's the issue as ones experience of even finding a staff to help is tough .

One thought that can help is maybe some self help touch kiosks that helps consumers to find location , based on "you are here " location indicator ,a lot of shopping decision are made or broken based on the clutter level of your store , and the ease with which one finds ones stuff ,try it , make life easier , and let the consumer find what is needed fast and help them check out faster , by reinventing your store layout if needed , and see the difference it makes to your business

Getting your Shoppers to Go GA GA !

2009-07-19T14:46:00.007+05:30

Well getting your shoppers to GA GA is not very tough to think about but as usual its the execution that is the tough part , but its importance in the current recession times is high , customers itself are becoming scarce ! yes on a relative basis when compared to good old times , say 1 year back !

So here we go with our basic version of what we think can make a difference and generate the GA GA experience , as unlike other sunrise industries retail is a FACE 2 FACE business ( F2F ) , customer interactions is the key .

Staff Engagement: being polite, genuinely caring and interested in helping, acknowledging and listening to the customer ( easy to say tough to deliver ! )

Going beyond the normal call of duty : patiently explaining and advising, checking stock, helping to find products, having product knowledge and providing unexpected product quality , it works , we have seen customers coming to stores asking for front end staff by names .
Experience: exciting store design and atmosphere, consistently great product quality, making customers feel they're special and that they always get a deal. A simple store design like signage have been proven to increase the conversion ratios !

Expediting: being sensitive to customers' time on long check-out lines, being proactive in helping speed the shopping process. This is a big pain area , customers don't want to wait after shopping ,want a process of fast check outs .

Service Recovery: helping resolve and compensate for problems, upgrading quality and ensuring complete satisfaction. Nothing works than this , if one were to c the track record of all subs on which a service recovery has happened , then one wud c that the customer has come more often and generated more business , this was our experience

According to the research, four in five shoppers will tell an average of three other people about their GA GA experience.

Retailers can generate more GA GA experience by introducing strong mystery audits , training , and suitable rewards backed with highlighting of some outstanding work , the key to delivery on service recovery is the delegation of authority that's been done to the front end to take quick decisions , so the customer doesn't have to wait and go thru further anxiety .

In the current recession time retailers wud be well advised to generate more GA GA experience for the customers , as the power of word of mouth is sure to drive traffic , and this medium wud be anyways lower in cost than the mass media advertising route :) What say ?

Retail Buzz

2009-07-11T22:29:00.002+05:30

latest and best on Indian retail , look no further :

India can have over 300 new hypermalls by 2011:

Neighbourhood stores go off the beaten track

Gitanjali Gems acquires 70% stake in MobileNXT

Indian People Purchasing Power Myth

India Assumes Top Spot as Target for Retailers

India: Reliance retail looking to acquire Henkel brands

India offers greatest retail opportunities study shows

Delivering better value

( Not an original post , complied from the web )

Nokia Ovi

2009-07-05T14:26:00.013+05:30

Mobile telecom penetration is rapidly growing and its not surprising that the mobile handset market is booming too , however both in the service provider and the handset space the competition intensity is just enormous .

Nokia was a distinct leader in India in the handset space and must be still the same ,however there wud be a share dent in the share figures thanks to the Korean assault ( samsung ,lg ) and the business phone domination by ( blackberry ) plus the i phone disruptive thinking on the I phone , though this didn't go down well with the consumers !

The brand must be now contemplating a reinvention as the cut throat trade must be demanding its always bigger share of margins in already at razor thin levels market . So here comes a flood of Nokia own stores under the name of Nokia Ovi , which are supposed to sell services and also higher end models like their vertu brand .Its said ,that they have tried to copy the Apple route on go to market which has been successful .

It remains to be seen how this channel is going to be more profitable for the brand as one gets a feeling that this wud be used just for experience but the real buying wud again happen in the open market.Plus also keen to see the walk in drive campaigns for these stores .

This move mite work if the mass brands go thru the open trade and the class brands go thru these outlets in a controlled manner but control in telecom is a difficult word .

Knowing the brand , the stores must be world class for sure cant wait to see one !

Indian retail -beyond traditional channels

2009-06-28T19:46:00.006+05:30

come to think of it when retail is discussed , ones mind directly connects to the brick and mortar part ,but there are other models that exist , one common channel is the e retail channel which we guess everyone knows , however how about the multi level marketing channels , the newly added micro finance channels reaching out to the rural consumers, and the good old home delivery of goods , isnt that interesting .

Here goes our take of the multiple level marketing models , this channel is supposed to cut the advertising cost and cut the distribution cost by making the end consumers the channel itself ,we are in a state of confusion about the actual impact that say a brand like Amway , Modicare , Tupper ware has had on the life's of their agents , as it sounds at the start to be all easy ,its no easy business to be in like any other .

The drop out rates are big , every now and then you get to hear about the husband and wife pair , etc who have made it big etc , but this looks like a catalogue phenomenon , as one has not met anyone who has made a success out of this channel . Maybe we are wrong !

We have written enough on the e retail business in this blog , and how social shopping on the net would be big in India soon .With expansion coming in at high rental cost and slow returns e retail suddenly opens up the entire country , and the world as a market .

cutting to the other interesting channel developing is the micro finance channel which takes the cake as a strong developing retail , driven by credit , and has typically women acting as saleswomen selling items like fridges , mobile phones ,water purifiers etc .Rural market for these products never looked good before , an interesting product which has found some off takes is the chotukool refrigerator by Godrej for the rural markets ,that runs on batteries !

Home delivery is an old tried tested channel for retailing , the old catalogue route had the burlington catalogue , shoppers stop argos was scheduled to be rolled out , so is croma's catalogue , it goes without saying again no rental , no high labor cost , and the entire country and the world being your market place is the beauty of this model .

Next time you say Retail let your mind NOT think of the brick and mortar retail stores only : )

Indian retail Directory

2009-06-20T23:15:00.007+05:30

Here is the latest and the One and Only Indian Retail directory !

Department stores plus other categories ::
http://www.pantaloon.com/
http://www.shoppersstop.com/
http://www.lifestylestores.com/
http://www.globus.in/
http://www.cafecoffeeday.com/
http://www.mywestside.com/
http://www.bombaydyeing.com/
http://www.primusretail.com/
http://www.piraymd.com/
http://www.mydollarstoreindia.com/
http://www.kewalkiran.com/
http://www.heritagefoods.co.in/
http://www.vishalmegamart.net/
http://www.emartindia.net/

http://www.cromaretail.com/

http://www.witcoindia.com/

Indian retail Information & services ::links
http://www.retailyatra.com/
http://www.indiaretailservices.com/
http://www.eindiaretail.blogspot.com/
http://www.rvgonline.com/
http://www.indianretailobservor.com/
http://www.indianretailangle.com/

Malls Directory of India
http://www.megamalls.in/

Indian/MNC Apparel Brands
http://www.levis.com/
http://www.maduragarments.com/
http://www.arvindmills.com/
http://www.dinesh.com/
http://www.indigonation.com/
http://www.raymondindia.com/
http://www.colorplusonline.com/
http://www.parkavenue.co.in/
http://www.provogue.net/
http://www.arrowshirt.com/
http://www.indusclothing.com/
http://www.allansolly.com/
http://www.turtlelimited.com/
http://www.benetton.com/
http://www.giniandjony.com/
http://www.koutons.in/
http://www.zodiaconline.com/

http://www.koutonsparivar.com/

E Retail @India
http://www.futurebazaar.com/
http://www.indiaplaza.in/
http://www.ebay.in/
http://www.sify.com/
http://www.storzz.com/
http://www.storeguru.com/
http://www.naaptol.com

http://www.govasool.com

http://www.compareindia.com

http://www.salesraja.in/

Indian Retail Jobs
Unison International , Delhi
Email: jobs@unisoninternational.net ,
udit@unisoninternational.net
manoj@unisoninternational.net
Livingstone ,Mumbai
Temp staffing
http://www.temporaryjobs.in/
Outsourcing ::
http://www.ifinalytics.com/
Retail Catchment study /Promotional Agency
http://www.mindsatwork.in/
Interesting Retail Blogs ::

http://survivingretailbook.blogspot.com/

http://retailstrategyblog.blogspot.com/

http://www.eindiaretail.blogspot.com/

http://retailtech.blogs.com/

http://www.emergingretailtrends.com/

http://www.insideretailing.com.au/

http://retailindia.typepad.com/
Version 1.5

Best Of Indian Retail

2009-06-14T14:58:00.006+05:30

The great Indian retail meltdown: A KPMG study
IKEA to shelve India retail plans, to continue sourcing
Capital infusion TPG leads race for stake in Pantaloon
India: Strategies for Consumer Goods
Global meltdown and Indian retail
Industry cries foul: Move to ban corporates in retail
Return of big malls
Humble barcodes live on to tell the story
( not an original post , compiled from the web !)

Coffee retailing in Tea Country !

2009-06-07T18:40:00.006+05:30

2003-2007 ..Barista , Cafe coffee day , coffee day xpress ,qwikys ,bristo ....maybe more , suddenly coffee retailing was on expansion overdrive , one must say this was so true for all retail formats why blame coffee retailers alone !Industry size estimates vary between 250- 500 crores per year for this format .

Cut to 2009 , under the gloom of the recession hit economy and the general gloom around ,the coffee cups off takes must have slowed down for sure .

i)coffee retailing always was a game being fought on volumes and ticket size ( our estimate of Rs 100-150 per consumer ) , so paltry ticket size and the high rentals factors was always against it .
ii)India always has been and is a Tea country ! getting consumers to switch is going to be tough , coffee is an occasional beverage at the most .The idea was to catch the new gen Indian youth and get them hooked on to coffee too and give them a new destination to hangout .

So how are coffee retailers fighting back or trying to stay afloat :

i)Coffee alone was not enough , ie was a clear no brainer , so you have snacks , and other beverages including tea included in the menu card !
ii) Wi fi connectivity and browsing on a pay per use basis is another revenue stream .
iii)Impulse items like mouth fresheners , spices , imported beverages are part of the list of items sold , our estimation is that a decent 8-10 % of the revenue from a coffee store would come from non coffee products .
iv) Look at more realisation per cup markets , logically move to foreign markets and also look at some key tier 2 markets for expansion at lower opex cost .

Some fresh ideas that can make a difference , drive in coffee outlets , giant coffee take aways say coffee for a meeting ,delivered with cups !
Must add that the coffee retailers are fighting to stay fit and there are lessons to learn from them for the big retailers too .

Retail Buzz !

2009-05-24T13:34:00.005+05:30

Here is the latest buzz on Indian Retail

Media and retail firms to dominate online deals: Akamai CEO

Birla group looks to sell stake in retail venture

A brand new day in store

'India has a huge growth potential'

Bharti Walmart to open Store Next week

Global meltdown and Indian retail

Retailers face uphill task in wooing customers

Inventing a Superpower

Retailers doing a rethink

EDITORIAL COMMENT Shopping Around

Research and Markets: Retail Scene in India

( not an original post , compiled from the web )

1000 Singapore's

2009-05-16T22:45:00.010+05:30

We believe that to some extent retail industry has a a positive correlation to the tourist inflow , we write after a visit to Singapore which is considered to be a role model for the retail and tourist correlation , as they market shopping and holidays together in an aggressive way along with say a Dubai .

Come to think of it Singapore has come out of "nothing " and still runs and thrives on it ,ie whatever has come out of Nothing .Singapore has created man made tourism destinations backed up with some aggressive marketing and some value added selling like photography , retail stores for souvenirs. Add to this a strong tourist friendly culture , they have a winning model which rocks .

Switching to India its well everyone knows we have huge amount of potential , with a lot of heritage and natural destinations to showcase , but here are our thoughts to make India going the Singapore way .

i) create 4 man made tourist destinations in the 4 regions of the country ie south , north , west and east , put the works behind them , get it close to a couple of big local heritage sites , run them on an extremely tourist friendly manner , and as a profit centre use the Singapore zoo/water park , island route . There is business sitting here and would need some corporate involvement backed by the goverment .

ii) Communicate Tourism friendliness :In the long term we need to communicate more on the need to be tourist friendly at all touch points , in this line the current "Attithi deva bhavo " campaign fits the bill , it needs to have a long term view and needs to be go on , backed with a lot of initiatives to propagate this culture within the key touch points such as hotels , taxis, airports , trains , shops etc , say award program for the best customer delight mystery audit or so on .

iii) Marketing of India :The Incredible India campaign is on and the latest one is awesome , check it out here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNWeBVBqo2c we need more !

It goes without saying we have the potential , the destinations , backed with tourist friendliness culture propagation( which needs to develop ) and strong marketing we easily would have 1000 Singapore's in our back yard ! this should have an overall retail business effect ,what say ?

India's Super bowl

2009-04-23T18:50:00.004+05:30

Indias super bowl ? we mean the IPL tamasha has started again this year ,unlike the last year the engagement with the consumers is quite weak , thks to the rains , South africa and maybe with the novelty factor diminshing .

When India's super bowl picked up then traffic to retail outlets fell crazily last year , this year we are sure that thanks to recession the traffic was anyways lower so the retailer wudnt havent felt the pinch like last year .

Brands like Indigo nation , Reebok , Puma etc have tried to capitalise on merchandise sales thanks to their spends for sponsorships , dont think this kind of tie up is helping in anyway in getting footfalls , even if they are getting them the merchandise seem to be outpriced !

Retailers with good eat outs joints have tried to get the customers in with some good sit and watch deals but the great lethargy factor is keeping the consumers at home .

Indias Super bowl seems to have been hit by the recession bug too , would like to hear from you !

Slow down ! really ?

2009-04-12T14:59:00.008+05:30

Considering that everyone is talking about the slowdown of the economy but its another matter that when you visit restaurants , movie theatres these days the rush has just not stopped ,so one is left wondering where is the slowdown ? to add to the chaos .. today's newspaper even talks about how luxury brands are expanding operations in India and seeing a sales growth !

So then what is the slowdown we are talking about , maybe there is a part of India which is for sure effected ,and a size able part of the country which is immune from whatever happens , remember we still are a savings driven country , don't have data on how much do we have staked up in our banks , plus don't ignore the black money , and of course we have poor politicians not even having cars ! at least that's what they declare !our reading is that no one knows the real story- its honestly beyond the common man , however the common man reads it as pressure in his work place , the bad news about the pink slips ,etc ...

one thing is for sure the best antidote against Slowdown is the Sensex , as when it rises there is a feel good factor that is all encompassing and this tends to turn the tide over even though a majority of the common man don't understand the sensex !

The other remedy for slowdown is consumption over drive maybe the rush in the restaurants etc is the middle class way of showing there determination to beat the slowdown !

Switching to the retail space ,the premium retailer segment is surely feeling the heat , suddenly there is thrust on operational efficiencies and discipline gone is the expand expand mode ! , we have seen cases of stores converting spaces into store rooms ( at least there is an electricity save + store room charge savings ) as mentioned in an earlier post , private labels are back in fashion , to drive more margins per customers , ie provided the customer buys them ! also the old adage of selling more per customer is back in fashion again .

Come whatever , life moves on with one set of consumers which doesn't have the effect of the slowdown and another having it , what say ? ...Keep moving( walking ) , Mr Walker you must be enjoying these gloomy days !!