Delhi to host first brand licensing conference in India

Licensing experts of the world, including Tommy Hilfiger's CEO Shailesh Chaturvedi, LIMA Managing Director Kelvyn Gardner, would participate in a two-day conference starting from November 29 in New Delhi to explore the potential of the licensing industry in India.

The Brand Licensing India Conference 2008, which is being organised by Franchise India Holdings Ltd and supported by International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA), would focus on growth of the licensing industry in the country. "The conference will be a great platform for Indian companies to learn from Global industry professionals, to leverage best practices and knowledge in the Indian licensing industry," Franchise India Holdings President Gaurav Marya said.

The emergence of modern and more organised retail in India, estimated at USD 200 billion, has been projected to grow at five percent per annum and has set the pace for new collaborations between International licensing companies and Indian business houses. Licensing industry worldwide is estimated at USD 187 billion. Retail sales of licensed merchandise in the US and Canada in 2007 reached USD 71.25 billion and that in Western Europe has been estimated to be worth in excess of USD 26 billion.

Source: zeenews

mjunction coming up with 'straightline'

mjunction, a 50:50 e-commerce joint venture of steel majors Tata Steel and Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL), which was till now in the online coal and steel sales and purchase space will enter the online retail business-to-consumer (B2C) segment by April 2009.

Majority of its customers come from the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) segment. The retail business will be under the brand name "straightline" and would be offering a lot of products such as apparel, electronic items, white goods, furniture etc, everything except rail and air tickets as several players are already in that space. Under the business, mjunction plans to offer more than 100 retail products including music, gaming, books etc over a period of time.

The company is tying up with other firms for their services to make its offerings comprehensive. The main selling point of ‘straightline’ will be genuine branded products and lower prices providing end-to-end solutions.

mjunction is the leader in the Rs 20,000-crore online business-to-business market with an over 50% share. Their share is close to Rs 10,400 crore and are looking to touch Rs 15,000 crore this fiscal.

Source: DNA

Big retail chains would fail: Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal

As Indian Retailers trying their best to keep their sales register ticking in the times of global Economic Slowdown, the Uttar Pradesh Udyog Vyapar Pratinidhi Mandal comments that “India is a tropical country where per capital income is low. The large retail formats, which are successful in the US, Canada and Europe are bound to fail here.”

Mr.Kanchal, the president of the organisation said that establishment expenses of big retailers amount to almost 20% while it is just 4-5% for small retailers which is going to create trouble for big retail chains in the times to come.

Also, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Commerce which was analysing the impact of big malls on small retailers and is expected to submit its report to the central government soon is trying to study the Malaysian and Polish legislations like Shopping Mall Regulation Act which aims to strike a balance between the  small and large retailers.

As retailers have started facing the heat of economic slump, do you agree with the statement that "Big Retail Chains would fail in coming future"?

Luxottica tied up with DLF to open sunglass stores in India

Luxottica, the Italian eyewear brand dealing in the design, manufacturing and distribution of premium fashion and luxury eyewear is all set to enter the Indian market. It has planned to open 100 Sunglass Hut Stores through a franchising agreement with DLF group. The stores will be opened in select high-end malls and premium locations across the country.

The whole story can be read at marketwatch

Mall owners going for the revenue share model as retail rentals fall

Citing the slowdown in the economy, both mall owners and retailers are in troubled waters. Mall owners who are following the model of fixed rentals are worried due to 20-25 per cent fall in retail rentals. On the other hand, with market going slow, retailers have to watch their profits and are finding it difficult to pay fixed rentals.

The industry experts say that in such a scenario revenue sharing rental model works best for both retailers and mall owners. There could be a mix of fixed plus variable charge where fixed sum may be based on the brand equity of the mall while variable sum would be the share of revenue generated by the retailers agreed among both the parties. Such a model is practiced by various mall owners and is easy on pockets in both the good and bad times.

The whole article can be read at The Hindu Business Line

World SME Conference 2008

World SME Conference 2008

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Future Axiom begins operations in India

Announcing a further leap in redefining the new age mobile retail, Future Group, India’s retail giant has joined hands with Axiom Telecom, the largest mobile retail company from the Middle East to form Future Axiom Telecom Ltd., setting an all new dimension of innovation in the Indian mobile retail industry.

 

Announcing the venture, Mr. Ashy Sehgal, CEO, Future Axiom Telecom Ltd. avers “The Future group began trading in communication products in 2006 through its counters in Big Bazaar. Almost immediately, ConvergeM was set up and witnessing the immense growth, emerged the need of making the handset retail division distinct from the group. While Future Group (Pantaloon Retail) was on the lookout for a partner with expertise in the retailing of communication products, Axiom Telecom was keen to enter the Indian market and being a part of the Indian growth story. Future Axiom is all set to venture in the INR 50,000 crore mobile retail industry and set new benchmarks. We are confident that the affiliation of Indian retail expertise and Middle East’s mobile retail skills will be extremely rewarding for our customers.”

 

“Future Axiom will operate in more than 500 stores and touch points in 58 cities under the brand name of Mobile Bazaar and Mport. We will be revealing the new brand and store formats shortly. There are major expansion plans on the anvil; we plan to be a 1500 outlet organisation by the end of December 2009.” Mr. Sehgal added

 

The 50:50 joint venture involves an initial investment of about $ 40 Million. It will retail, distribute mobile handsets and accessories and set up service centres in India. The JV currently operates through retail and service factory and will add more channels in the due course.

 

Mr. Faisal Al Bannai, Founder, Axiom Telecom said, “We recognised India as the land of opportunities and we are delighted being partners with the well-known Future Group for operations in India. This partnership will definitely help our expertise in the mobile retail space grow and set new benchmarks with Future Group’s reach and understanding of the Indian consumer.”

 

Future Axiom is set with the philosophy and belief that the customer does not have a great reference point for making a mobile phone purchase. The customer seeks information through informal sources and does not use the retail point as a shopping destination but more as a quick transaction point. Future Axiom is determined to alter this trend and provide complete information pertaining to mobile handsets to enable the perfect selection by the consumer, aiming at absolute customer satisfaction and delivering impeccable service.

 

Future Axiom also has the unique advantage of specific skill set departments like In-House Retail Designing department, Quality Control department and Authorised Service facility provided by highly trained professionals to ensure a perfect customer experience. 

Source: Moneycontrol