Images Retail

War against Development
We have spent the last 60 years collectively striving, fighting and competing with the big bad West in order to get the elusive tag of a developed nation. There is very little that we have not done to meet the impossible undefined criterions laid down for the same. We have achieved excellence across various sectors where we have been able to put ourselves on top...

It’s all about Trust
"The optical accessories business in India is still at a nascent stage and the market is hugely underserved. But with more opportunities being created in the organised retail market, we see the segment growing rapidly. We at Himalaya Optical are trying to grab every opportunity in the optical retail space and have already created a dedicated management team to act swiftly in the changing dynamics of the marketplace," informs Sarat Binani, managing director, Himalaya Optical Pvt Ltd...

After the Storm...
In the years gone by, retailers were in a mad rush to expand and establish bigger and bigger footprints. They put whatever little money they had on opening more and more stores – never mind if the location was right or they were a ‘me too’ player in the geography. This only gave them more stores, as in more doors...

An Eye for an Eye
"The optical accessories business in India is still at a nascent stage and the market is hugely underserved. But with more opportunities being created in the organised retail market, we see the segment growing rapidly. We at Himalaya Optical are trying to grab every opportunity in the optical retail space and have already created a dedicated management team to act swiftly in the changing dynamics of the marketplace," informs Sarat Binani, managing director, Himalaya Optical Pvt Ltd...

Safety First
As the trading day began on July 6, most stock market players were predicting a bold, impetus-led Union Budget 2009-10 that would invigorate corporate and retail investors alike. But the Sensex tanked by about 870 points and Nifty by 225 points soon after Union Finance Minister (FM) Pranab Mukherjee tabled the 2009-10 Union Budget in Parliament...

Luxury - gets a new address
The four-storeyed shopping centre, located at the upmarket Khader Nawaz Road in Chennai, plans to house only premium international luxury brands. The luxe mall is going to be built along the lines of classical Italian architecture and replicates the buildings of Bergamo (a city of northern Italy in the foothills of the Alps, northeast of Milan)...

How mobility maximizes return on inventory investment
Understanding this truth is one catalyst that has the power to make average retailers great. Successful retailing boils down to profitable inventory turn, and the best way to improve profitablity and turn is to forget everything you thought you knew about the mundane exercise/ discipline/ system known as “inventory management” and freshen up your approach...

Tweaking the Technology
Retailers continuously seek to drive profitable revenue growth by optimising inventory levels and delivering the right products to customers. Technology helps them to not merely clip costs but also to align the process. In an interaction with Sangita Ghosh, Sameer Batra, vice president - distribution sector, IBM India & South Asia, reveals how IBM is helping...

A Journey, Handcrafted!
Hansiba – the premium retail fashion brand of a unique ethno-modern style – belongs to SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC), which is owned and managed by the rural women artisans of Gujarat. It is a non-profit organisation where, starting from the raw material to the finished product in the retail outlet of ‘Hansiba’, the chain is entirely managed by rural women...

The end of isolation – World Retail Congress
Giving the keynote address at the global retail meet last month (May 6-8), retail veteran Marvin Traub, former President and CEO of Bloomingdales, said: "Great merchants will have the courage to try new strategies. Now is not the time to shy away from innovation and uniqueness."...

Nutritionally Yours
The pilot outlet of Nutri-Diet is currently in operation at New Delhi’s high street South Extension. Keeping in line with the current main business of healthcare, Nutri-Diet Clinic was established after a six-month research in metros and mini-metros. The research, undertaken by a hired agency on behalf of VLCC, revealed that hectic lives have forced urban Indians to ignore what they eat...

Retailing in Recession
Consumer spending in the United States rose to 71 per cent of GDP during 2008, from 63 per cent about 25 years ago. Spending is likely to retreat to those earlier levels over roughly the next decade. The conventional wisdom already has dismissed any sales growth in 2009 and does not expect even modest stirrings of a recovery before middle of 2010...