All stories by Sharleen Dsouza
Lab Or Natural? What Diamond Would You Prefer?
Rediff.com12 Dec 2024Suddenly, the legendary advertising line -- a diamond is forever -- is losing its shine.
'Mahindra Electric Is Getting Free Publicity'
Rediff.com9 Dec 2024'IndiGo's position in this argument will depend on whether it has registered '6e' as a trademark.'
Rural demand lifts FMCG sector to 5.7% growth in July-Sept: NielsenIQ
Rediff.com8 Nov 2024India's fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector grew 5.7 per cent by value and 4.1 per cent by volume in the July-September quarter driven by rural demand, consumer intelligence firm NielsenIQ said in its quarterly update on Thursday. Price-led growth stood at 1.5 per cent. According to NielsenIQ data, rural volume growth outpaced urban markets for the third straight quarter despite consumption softening in both regions.
Maggi revival architect Narayanan to bow out after 26 yrs with Nestle group
Rediff.com8 Oct 2024Suresh Narayanan, chairman and managing director of Nestl India, is set to retire on July 31 next year, marking the end of an era that began 26 years ago with the Nestl group, a multinational giant in the food and beverage space. His tenure is perhaps most famously defined by his role in reviving the Maggi noodles brand. When Narayanan stepped into leadership at Nestl India in 2015, the company was facing criticism: the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) had ordered a nationwide recall of the popular Maggi noodles due to high levels of lead found in the product.
'Rural consumption to do well going forward'
Rediff.com18 Aug 2024'Food inflation is important and if that is controlled, then consumption will go up.'
Companies Join Battle Against Sugar, Salt
Rediff.com15 Jul 2024Mondelez, Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Nestle India have been working on bringing down the sugar, salt, and sodium content.
Prices of consumer durables may go up; container prices up 4-fold in a month
Rediff.com8 Jun 2024Container prices have shot up by up to 300 per cent in the past one month owing to geopolitical tensions between Israel and Iran following the former's attack on Hamas, causing shortages and pushing consumer durables companies to increase prices. Companies have planned increases but some are yet to decide on the extent of the increase.
Dhoni as a brand will continue to reign even if he retires post IPL
Rediff.com29 Mar 2024With the IPL kicking off, speculations are rife that the former Indian cricket team captain M S Dhoni will hang up his boots after handing over the captaincy of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) to Ruturaj Gaikwad. However, brand experts believe this is not the end of the road for Dhoni as a celebrity, and he still has some mileage left even if he completely retires. Dhoni is expected to continue being associated with CSK even after retirement, according to a media report.
Packaged food sector leaving consumers spoilt for choice with new launches
Rediff.com28 Feb 2024Over the past year, Amul has undergone a transformative journey, evolving from a dairy-centric entity to a comprehensive foods company. Since 2022, PepsiCo India, too, has embarked on extensive launches in the food category. Not to be left behind, ITC, which has been introducing an average of 100 fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) products across categories every year, has also launched a number of packaged food items.
Festival season fail to light up apparel sales, consumer durables shine
Rediff.com17 Nov 2023Sales of apparel were a mixed bag this festive season while those of consumer durables saw an uptick with mobiles, laptops, and air conditioners being in demand. In apparel, Tier-2 and -3 markets did better for some brands, because these have been witnessing an uptick for the past 18-20 months compared to metros. "The past two weeks have been good, and we saw a 13 per cent increase in value sales, and volume sales have also been similar," Manish Kapoor, managing director (MD) and chief executive officer (CEO), Pepe Jeans
Daewoo plans India comeback in new avatar, to launch electronics, EV
Rediff.com19 Oct 2023Posco Daewoo, the South Korean conglomerate whose Cielo sedan and Matiz hatchback were once the pride of Indian car owners, is looking to re-enter India. And its return journey is riding on plans to sell electric bikes and e-cycles. The company termed India's robust economic growth and surging consumer demand as reasons behind its comeback plans, saying they make India "one of the world's most promising consumer markets," according to Y S Choi, general manager, Posco Daewoo South Korea.
With rains at unprecedented low in August, kiranas keep less stocks
Rediff.com11 Sep 2023With the rains at unprecedented low in August, kiranas are thinking twice before stocking up on goods. "With August 2023 rain shortfall at almost a 100-year low, we are seeing kiranas stocking up very carefully," Akshay D'Souza, chief of growth and insights at Bizom. He added, "As we look ahead, it does seem that the impact of rains in September will be critical to the sowing season.
Digital disruptor brands likely to reach $10 billion by FY28
Rediff.com6 Sep 2023With a 35 per cent compound annual growth rate, the market for these brands is expected to reach $10 billion by 2027-28 (FY28), up from $2.4 billion now.
Televisions Likely to Get Costlier By Up to 10% As Open Cell Prices Rise
Rediff.com13 Aug 2023The cost of open cells has seen an average increase of between 3 and 20%, and is higher for larger screen TVs in July, according to manufacturers of televisions
Cheers! You Can Drink Beer In Office!
Rediff.com25 May 2023Beer to be allowed in certain offices in Haryana; other states allow its sale in stores and malls.
Hindustan Unilever, Genpact launch Be.Seen to help minority-owned units
Rediff.com23 May 2023HUL and Genpact aim to enable these businesses to eventually get absorbed into the supply chains of large consumer companies, including that of HUL. In 2021, the maker of Sunsilk shampoos committed to spending Rs 2,000 crore annually with diverse businesses by 2025, Ansu Archana, procurement director, beauty & wellbeing, HUL, told Business Standard. Archana added that the program aligns with Unilever's wide-ranging set of commitments and actions to help build a more equitable and inclusive society.
Reliance Takes Another Bite At Dairy
Rediff.com18 Apr 2023This is the Mukesh Ambani-led company's second entry into the dairy segment and it will directly compete with Amul and Mother Dairy.