DMart has entered Haryana by lifting up the shutters to 94,000 sq. ft. store in the state at BPTP Parklands, Faridabad. With this launch, the one-shop supermarket chain has opened its second store in NCR, and its first store at Ghaziabad.

The store is built on a plot size of 1.57 acres in Sector-75 Faridabad and consists of three floors with a total built up area of approx 94 sq.ft. 

Amit Raj Jain, Head of Sales, BPTP Ltd commented on this matter, “A modern one-stop supermarket offering good products at great value was needed in the newly-developed Faridabad Neharpar and this DMart store will surely meet the requirement of the residents who were waiting for the latest amenities”. 

The DMart stores in Faridabad will provide all the daily needs items- such as food, toiletries, beauty products, garments, kitchenware, bed and bath linen, home appliances under one roof at a competitive price for its customers.

Global apparel retailer Levi’s inaugurated its new store at DLF Mall of India, Noida. In its NxtGen store format, Levi’s elevates its presence in India’s largest mall by bringing alive the fullest expression of the brand.  

The new store design features cutting-edge digital upgrades, brings to life omnichannel capabilities, and enables consumers to immerse themselves in brand experience across customization, fit & style. A playground for fashion lovers, the store is spread across about 3400 sq ft will the brand’s premium collections, collaborations and will be the home of India’s
largest Tailor shop experience.

At the heart of the Mall of India store, consumers can make their
Levi’s pieces truly their own with patches, embroidery, paneling, and distressing. The state-of-the-art Printshop allows for customized t-shirts with a range of seasonal, brand, and
collaboration-based personalization’s available.

The American clothing company started its operations back in India by forming a wholly- owned subsidiary known as Levi’s Strauss India Ltd in 1994 and has grown invariably since
then. The brand aims to strengthen its physical footprint in the country and abroad with better store and consumer experience in 2021.

Suumaya Industries Ltd. an emerging diversified conglomerate group, through its 100% fully-owned subsidiary Suumaya Retail Ltd. has acquired a minority stake in the value retail chain startup Nysaa Retail Private Limited, which operates stores under the brand name 1-India Family Mart. This investment will enable Suumaya Industries to strengthen its foothold in the women’s ethnic wear segment in the smaller towns along with value retailing of men’s and kid’s wear in BCD towns or rural India, the two companies said in a joint statement today. By gaining access to 100 + retail stores of 1-India Family Mart, this strategic partnership will help Suumaya Industries Ltd. increase its geographical footprint in tier-2, tier-3 and tier-4 towns in India.

Ushik Gala, Chairman & Managing Director of Suumaya Industries Limited commented on this matter, “Suumaya Industries (erstwhile Suumaya Lifestyle) has over three decades of experience in the textile industry and has well positioned itself as a highly creative brand for exquisite fashion and world’s finest collection of Indo-Western Designer Kurtis for women. This collaboration will build on each other’s synergy and make us more competitive in the industry. The 1-India Family Mart founders have more than 2 decades of rich experience in the retail industry and have seen the entire retail cycle. The investment paves the way for the potential of a wider strategic alliance between Suumaya & 1-India Family Mart. This acquisition offers the opportunity to work with them to reimagine the retail partnership and allows us to create newness and excitement for this dynamic customer segment. While it will give us an edge in the women’s ethnic wear category, it will also fulfil large part of garmenting requirements of Nysaa Retail.”

India retail is valued at INR 51 trillion in 2019, growing at a CAGR of 9 – 11%. An increase in the market share of value e-retailers has demonstrated better profitability and value creation within the Indian retail landscape. Value retail constitutes 60% of the overall apparel retail market. Growth in value retail is primarily driven by organised value retail. 

Marking the success of ‘Nirmalaya Project’ in 2019, Viviana Mall, is once again excited to host ‘Nirmalaya Project 2.0’, to make it as yet another successful campaign. 

Viviana Mall in Thane, has pledged to host an eco-friendly campaign called ‘Nirmalaya Project 2.0′, during Ganeshotsav. Starting from 10th September 2021 till 21st September 2021, The Mall will collect Nirmalayas at the Mall premises with an aim is to have cleaner festive celebrations for a greener tomorrow. 

Nirmalayas are offerings made to God during worship. Offerings include perishable and non-perishable materials, however, Viviana Mall will accept only perishable offerings like plants, leaves, flowers, garlands, cotton, etc. The mall has set up Nirmalaya containers at three pick points of the premises, that includes, Courtyard (front entry), East court side entry (back entry), and Upper Basement level. The mall requests all visitors and customers to deposit all the flowers and perishable garlands that get replaced daily and even on the day of the idol immersions at all the three pick points. 

Rima Kirtikar, Chief Marketing Officer, of Viviana Mall commented on this initiative, “The Nirmalaya Project is our step towards contribution to the environment. While the entire world is dealing with the atrocious impact of COVID-19 virus, we wanted to make a small contribution towards the betterment of the society by making Ganeshotsav eco-friendly and pollution-free. 

He also added “In addition to this campaign, we will also erect a 2 feet, eco-friendly Ganesha idol in the mall’s atrium, from 10th September to 16th September. And, as a ritual, we will perform Ganpati Aarti, twice every day,” added Ms. Kirtikar.

Nirmalayas received will be upcycled at Viviana Mall’s Organic Manure Processing Plant to generate manure. This organic manure will be distributed for free to the visitors between 2nd October 2021 and 15th October 2021. Through this initiative, Viviana Mall looks forward to contributing towards the upkeep of trees and plants around the city in an organic way.

Zomato has announced that it will stop its grocery delivery service from September 17. The reason behind the stoppage is said to be the account of gaps in order fulfilment that eventually leads to poor customer experience, according to the media sources.

The sources also mentions that the online delivery company believes that the investment in Grofers will generate better outcomes for its shareholders than in-house grocery efforts.

In the email to the grocery partners, Zomato mentions that “At Zomato, we believe in delivering best in class services to our customers and largest growth opportunities to our merchant partners. We don’t believe that the current model is the best way to deliver these to our customers and merchant partners. Hence, we intend to stop our pilot grocery delivery service effective 17 September, 2021”.

Zomato has forayed into online grocery service where the company introduced a marketplace model, where it enabled customers to shop from neighbourhood stores.The rival companies such as Swiggy, Dunzoo however decided to set up dark stores to service grocery stores orders within 15-30 minutes. 

DHL Supply Chain (“DHL”), the global market leader in contract logistics, launches its latest offering – the India Fulfilment Network (IFN), in Bangalore today. This first-of-its-kind service will be rolled out to benefit the growing number of small and medium retail businesses that have seen a shift in their business models to online marketplaces, largely spurred by movement restrictions caused by the ongoing pandemic. DHL will invest more than INR 25 crores to further scale this network across major metros and state capitals in the country over the next 12 months. 

Even before the pandemic, the opportunity in the e-commerce market in India has been evident and is expected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 27%i by 2024, with a large number of sellers in various categories showing a keen interest in shifting to an omni-channel model. The ecommerce boom during the Covid-19 pandemic has further boosted online retail transactions across India, especially with government-imposed social distancing protocols and a resultant decline in customers at brick and mortar shops. Relatedly, the expansion of e-commerce and 3PL sectors is also fueling demand for warehousing, which is expected to increase at 160%ii.   

The IFN is a launch pad curated for easing the B2C fulfillment process. It is a 360-degree supply chain solution for enterprises across sectors, allowing them to manage their immediate operations seamlessly in a fully online marketplace scenario. In addition to this, the IFN also offers transportation linkages to customers, providing last mile delivery services to further bolster their independent dot.com models. DHL’s strategically located sites, in proximity to the major urban centers, offer SMEs a multi-user network solution with access to its established services that would support them across the entire supply chain. This ‘plug and play’ model that provides end-to-end tracking and monitoring will enable merchants to directly sell their products across the whole country, leveraging DHL’s network without having to make huge investments in infrastructure and IT. 

The IFN will help power Indian businesses’ e-commerce business models by providing access to omni-channel distribution capabilities across key markets. “Ultimately the IFN allows SMEs to take advantage of DHL’s scale in a way that is flexible and tailored to their needs,” said Vikas Anand, Managing Director, DHL Supply Chain, India.   

“We can support customers across the entire supply chain – from inbound handling and storage, pick and pack, last-mile delivery as well as handling returns, which will help accelerate and standardize delivery times for their end consumers,” he added. 

Additionally, with its “Pay-per-use model”, the IFN also gives large retailers and big brands the option to de-risk their supply chains by having access to e-fulfillment hubs across the country, which would be in addition to their main distribution centers. This would ensure their sales and distribution channels are less impacted in case of local lockdowns. 

DHL’s innovative approach will level the playing field between SMEs and multinational ecommerce giants who can afford to operate in multiple markets and commit to next-day deliveries – fast becoming the industry standard and an expectation of consumers. With DHL’s Radio Frequency (RF) enabled infrastructure along with a robust IT platform linked to marketplaces and delivery partners, organizations can also tailor the service to specific regions within the country, as well as scale up to match order volumes. 

With its “Pay-per-use model”, the IFN also gives large retailers and big brands the option to de-risk their supply chains by having access to e-fulfillment hubs across the country, which would be in addition to their main distribution centers. This would ensure their sales and distribution channels are less impacted in case of local lockdowns. 

Hitachi Air Conditioning India Ltd has announced that it is aggressively expanding in the south indian market. To give wheels to its plan, the brand has launched ‘Hitachi Home’ in Puducherry. This exclusive store will be a one-stop-brand shop.

The company partnered with Ganviz Enterprises, a leading consumer electronics store in Puducherry to give wings to this exclusive ‘Hitachi Home’ store launch in the city. With this launch, the company has also announced the plans to launch a super exciting range of new age air conditioners by offering 30+ and 90+ SKU’s models in the room AC category. Recently, the company has also expanded its footprint in Gujarat.
 

Gurmeet Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, Johnson Controls -Hitachi Air Conditioning India Limited, commented on this matter “The cooling needs in South India stretch almost throughout the year, demanding for cutting edge technology, more efficient machines and low maintenance machines. We are committed to meet the consumer needs effectively and bring optimum comfort indoors”. 

He also added that. “Liaising with our channel partners is on the top of our priority list and we value their contribution and support in our mutual growth. The new ‘Hitachi Home’ in Puducherry will contribute towards strengthening our position in the market. It is our constant endeavour to respect and value such partners as they play a vital role in our journey”,

Madi Ramasamy, Ganviz Enterprises, Puducherry commented on this partnership ““For many years we have been providing great branded products of excellent quality to customers. We have a long and enriching association with Hitachi Cooling and Heating and we are very happy to start this new journey with the brand. The state-of-the-art experience zone at ‘Hitachi Home’ will have a unique product display area showcasing Hitachi’s diverse product line up of residential cooling solutions. These products will be at live display for a better understanding of the consumers.”

The company has a strong presence in the metropolitan cities with over 10,000 sales points and more than 290 exclusive sales representatives, but the focus is now to capture the Tier-II and III market.

Adidas has launched its digital flagship store in the country, an official statement highlighted. The new website has been conceptualised and curated keeping customer requests in mind. The aim of this digital platform is to create a digital store that provides seamless experience, innovation, state-of-the-art UI, and a fast interface, thereby giving consumers a global online shopping experience, which is digitally superior and seamless.

The website offers an innovative tech-driven experience that allows customers to navigate effortlessly across the digital store and purchase accordingly. The new digital flagship store will also offer a service from search to navigation, through which customers can get an assisted experience that enables them to find and purchase the right product. The range of the collection on the digital store focuses on the category such as Running, Lifestyle, Training, and Football.  

Sunil Gupta, Senior Director, Brand Adidas, India commented on this digital flagship launch “With the launch of our new digital store we want to reinforce the brand’s credibility in India through an acknowledgment of consumer feedback. Our aim is to shift the mindset from an eCommerce site to a digital brand store with consumer obsession at the heart of it all. The digital store aims to dial-up our credibility, enhance the consumer experience and push the narrative on our sustainability efforts. The innovative technology and the improved user interface will provide the consumers an unforgettable experience”.

Haryana Government decided to open 1,500 grocery stores in rural areas and 500 grocery stores in urban areas with an aim to encourage the young generation towards self-employment. The first phase of the project will start from 2nd October in the state, an official statement highlighted. 

The retail stores will be named as ‘Har-Hith’ as a part of the scheme launched by the Chief Minister of the state, Manohar Lal Kattar. This chain of grocery shops in the state will be open to sell best-quality daily needs products at nominal rates.

The scheme executing agency Rohit Yadav, Managing Director, Haryana Industries Corp. Ltd commented on this matter “80% of the site survey has been made and the sites are ready for setting up shops. He also added “2,000 Har-Hith stores would be opened in the first phase and 3,000 more later. The consumers will get top fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) products, including bakery, food, homecare and personal care, from 50 companies at a discount of 5% to 50% from time to time”.

Under this scheme, the Haryana Government plans to provide a platform for start-ups, micro, small and medium enterprises, and it will also help self-help groups to promote the business.The Har-Hith stores will be equipped with information technology support systems to ensure smooth functioning. 

Dabur expands its portfolio by the launch of the new product ‘Hajmola Licola’. This come under the expansion of the Hajmola Digestive portfolio.The launch will be run on various print, digital, outdoor and radio campaigns, an official statement highlighted.

Ajay Singh Parihar, Dabur India Marketing Head-OTC Healthcare commented on this matter “”This innovation is in line with our ambition of providing our consumers their favourite Hajmola with Lemon Ka Chatkara”. He also added that “As per its strategy, Dabur will be undertaking extensive sampling activities through delivery platforms and major restaurant chains, besides Dabbawalas in Mumbai, Airlines and at key Bus depots”.

Hajmola, a mix of traditional Indian herbs, spices, edible salts enjoys an overall 50% shares of the branded digestive tables in the Indian market.