Sundrop's Choco Popz

Sundrop is entering the cereal market with their latest offering Choco Popz. They are positioning their product as a sweet snack that can be consumed both as a breakfast cereal and also as a snack. 

The Story of Tilda Basmati Rice

While reading 'Contemporary India-by Dietmar Rothermund', I was surprised to know that Tilda was the first brand to bring Basmati to the Western World, esp. European market. 

How the story begin?

Tilda, was the brand of United Riceland, which was founded by Narsi Bhai Thakrar. Narsi Bhai went from Porbandar in western Gujarat to East Africa to work as a labourer. By 1972 he was an established trader in salt and steel in Uganda until Idi Amin, the tyrannical leader of Uganda threw him out along with many other Indian.

Then, he settled in England and shifted to trading Basmati Rice, by importing from Pakistan as the Indian government did not at that time allow trading in many essential commodities including rice. However, when Morarjee Desai (Gujrati connection did helped) became the Prime Minister, rice was decanalised and Mr Thakrar convinced the government that for every tonne of Basmati rice exported out of India he would get five tonne of non-Basmati into India through eastern markets like Myanmar.

By 1980s with another change of government, rice export was fully decanalised and United Riceland (URL) was established in 1982, and ‘Tilda’ was chosen as the name.

Recently in the month of Jan, 2014, the Tilda was bought by US food group Hain Celestial. However, Narsi Bhai will still credited with bringing Basmati rice to the Western World.

Desi Brand: Britannia

Started way back in 1892 with an investment of Rs. 295, biscuits were manufactured in a small house in central Kolkata. Later, the business was acquired by the Gupta brothers and operated under the name of V.S. Brothers. In 1918, C H Holmes, an English businessman in Kolkata was taken as a partner and ‘The Britannia Biscuit Company Limited (BBCo)’ was launched. The Mumbai factory was setup in 1924 and Peak Freans, UK acquired a controlling interest in BBCo. Biscuits were in big demand during World War II, which gave a fillip to the company’s sales. BBCo celebrated its golden jubilee in 1968 and the company name was changed to the current Britannia Industries Limited in 1979. In 1982 Nabisco Brands Inc., USA became a major foreign shareholder. Ten years later in 1992, Britannia Industries Limited celebrated its platinum jubilee. The following year, the Wadia Group acquired a stake in ABIL, UK and became an equal partner with Groúpe Danone in Britannia Industries Limited.

The Great Indian Retail: Saravana store

After joining a b-school, I was amazed to know that how biased Indian B-schools are towards the west. This is a special reference to all the Harvard cases that we are taught. But, do they realize that the business environment operating abroad is entirely different from the one in India. Indian Retail Behaviour is different from what is perceived as retail behaviour in rest of the world. The psychology of Indian consumers is way too distinct, hence cannot be understood by studying the cases which are based on foreign multinationals. It sounds crazy to know that the strategies of Walmart followed in America are applied in Amritsar. Inspired by this humongous gap, we at BiZdOm are starting a new series on ‘The Great Indian retail’.

To start with, we would like to talk about a store which has not been as media savvy as other big names in Indian retail Like The Future Group, Birla, Tatas or Ambanis; however it serves as an in spiration for us. Infact, the Future Group CEO, the three younger family members and a bunch of about 20 other key Future Group executives had studied the model of this store before launching Big Bazaar.

Saravana store offers you the biggest and best collection of Dress material and house hold items with its Eight Storey shopping mall in T Nagar Usman Road, Chennai. People hate Saravana Stores for choosing that location because it makes Shopping becomes a sweat experience for all, but the same people love the store for its good collection and the best price available.

The place has some eight floors, a basement that may or may not have been counted in the eight, and hundreds of employees. They have over 120 employees to manage the customers thronging in the store. Also two huge elevators that can hold at least fifteen people but for our Indian habit of attempting to squeeze more out of everything.(Adjust Madi!!)

Saravana Stores is a 28 year old, family-run store. It has a very simple funda to run its business – “low margin, high volumes”.It stocks everything from appliances and groceries, to clothes, jewellery, toys and eyeglasses. Its textile and garment section too has everything from Kanchipuram silks to bed sheets and they have a seperate vessel section that has loads of steel utensils. There is a separate block for fast food, where delicacies include idlis, pooris, parottas, soft drinks and ice creams.


Located somewhat close to the railway terminus, one can see hordes of people getting in and coming out with shopping bags at any time of the day and any time of the year. To many, Saravana may be a shopper's nightmare, but there are lot of customers who just love it and approve of it with their frequent footfalls. A rough estimate tells that it does a business worth hundreds of crores on a single day during festivals. The place is jam-packed, particularly on weekends, particularly during holidays.

When you get into Saravana Stores, they want to make sure you buy something. You’ll find all sorts of things being sold at this place. There is a little something useful for everyone. For instance, you remember those famous mosquito bats? Well, Saravana Stores made a killing out of selling those bats. I suspect that could be said for several of their products.



Their website offers you options like Online shopping & Live Chat… And we thought only Future Group could bring innovayions in Indian Retail!!!!!

Tricky Trivia- It’s a ritual for all key executives who join Future Group to visit Saravana Store.

Makeover for KAYA

Kaya Skin Clinic completely revamped its brand identity. The change is a shift in perceptions from an expert solution provider for skincare problems to a personal guide for total skin care.

 

New Identity with a new tagline ‘Love what you see’ is an expression of how consumers feel after a visit to Kaya.

Older one is below;

Cholayil acquires Krishna Thulasi (herbal brand)

Cholayil Private Limited (CPL), a Chennai-based Rs 100-crore FMCG company, announced the acquisition of Krishna Thulasi, a leading herbal soap brand owned by Krishna Herbals based in Kollam.

CPL had acquired one of Kerala's oldest brands of talcum powder and soap, Cuticura, in 2001, which now has 15 per cent market share in the Kerala market. The company has also planned to launch a number of beauty and cosmetic products like hair cream and face cream shortly. It will also launch a low-price soap brand, My Sop, for markets like Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. 

With a turnover of Rs 5 crore, Krishna Thulasi is one of south India's admired brands of herbal soap and other personal care products like herbal shampoo and face beauty gel.

Easysign: Sign your documents anywhere, anytime.

EasySignMobile.com makes mobile apps for enabling consumers and businesses to sign documents using an iPhone or iPad.

Talwalkars to launch new gym brand ‘Hi Fi’

BSE-listed Talwalkars Better Value Fitness (TBVFL) plans to open 65 new health clubs across the country as it attempts to focus on the home market to gain a larger share of the customer’s wallet and wider market penetration.

Anant Gawande, director and CFO, Talwalkars, said, “We are investing around Rs 100 crore for the rollout of 65 gyms pan-India. Of this, Rs 70-75 crore is being allotted for Talwalkar gyms. The money would be raised from internal accruals. We plan to have 40 more Talwalkar gyms across metros, tier I and II cities in this fiscal year and 25 specialty format Hi Fi gyms in tier III and IV cities.”

The brand name Hi Fi stands for ‘Healthy India Fit India’ movement. “The first Hi Fi gym is scheduled for launch later this week. The next two quarters will see the launch of ten Hi Fi gyms,” added Gawande. “The Hi Fi gyms will fulfil our dream of making fitness facilities available to the masses,” said Madhukar Talwalkar, chairman.

Lovable Lingerie Limited

Lovable Lingerie Limited is the proud owner of “LOVABLE” Trademark which is acquired from Lovable World Trading Corporation, USA. “LOVABLE” is India’s First Premium International Lingerie Brand and has been a pioneer in the Lingerie industry. The company also ownes “Daisy Dee” which has grown rapidly to become a Mid – Segment Market Leader in South India.

Brand identity eludes Lokta Paper at home

Lokta paper — an internationally registered brand as Nepal Lokta — lacks its identity at home.

Nepal Lokta is a registered brand in the European Union for quality control since 2008, however, not yet been registered in the domestic market.

Lack of trade mark registration in the domestic market has become a major threat to Nepali handmade paper.

The association has started the process of registering the brand ‘Nepal Lokta’ as Nepali handmade paper is facing price competition with similar products from China, India and Thailand recently.

But it is one of the key products that has potential to alleviate poverty in the remote hilly districts. “More rural women from the remote districts are involved in the Lokta production,” the association said, adding that government could exploit the product for the benefit of the rural masses.

Trivia:-

Nepali handmade paper is a unique product made from Lokta. It is strong and durable and has inherent natural resistance to worms and insects. The raw paper is produced in more than 22 districts but the finished product of Lokta can be produced in Kathmandu Valley and Janakpur only.

Ghost Ryderz got Bajaj Pulsar as its sponsor

The Ghost Ryderz is a team of professional stunt bikers based out of Kerala. Bajaj Pulsar is the official sponsor of professional motorcycle stunt team Ghost Ryderz. This is the first time a professional motorcycle stunt team has been sponsored by a sports bike brand in India.

Bytes:-
Pulsar has been associated with stunting for many years through advertising and recently through a popular reality show dedicated to stunting called Pulsar MTV Stuntmania.

Iffco Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL)

Iffco Kisan Sanchar Ltd (IKSL), the firm co-founded by Ranjan Sharma alongwith the Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Ltd (Iffco) in 2007. IKSL has a customer base of 80 lakh farmers, to whom it sends five free voice messages everyday on crops, weather, livestock and the like. It also extends to them a free helpline service on the same. Most of their customers are Iffco shareholders. Of India’s farmer population of 15 crore, around 5.5 crore are in Iffco. 

Ranjan Sharma did a 45-day pilot in 11 villages of the Barabanki district of Uttar Pradesh, where he distributed handsets free of cost. IKSL is not the only one operating in the area of agricultural advisory in the country. Reuters Market Light, Tata Consultancy Services’ mKrishi and Qualcomm’s venture for fisherfolk in Tamil Nadu in association with M S Swaminathan Research Foundation and Tata Teleservices, called Fisher Friend, are some of them.

Flipkart Has a new Logo, to soon expand into Consumer Electronics Space

Flipkart has launched its brand new logo (plus brand colors) and while the company has moved from being an online book store to selling mobile phones as well as music, games etc, the big news is that Flipkart will very soon (as early as this week) announce the expansion into the entire range of consumer electronics – i.e laptop, TV etc etc.

Flipkart has seen consistent growth in the traffic and lately has started using adwords to drive traffic to the site. The early days of organic growth probably reached its maxima and Flipkart now wants to compete with eBay (s ) of the Indian online world (that pegs a question – Is there a ceiling to online book selling in India?).

Brand Ambassador - Manoj Tiwari : Ayur

RDM Care (India) Pvt. Ltd. is leading herbal products company, founded in 1984 covers hair, skin, health and personal care products. Bhojpuri actor Manoj Tiwari has been roped in as the Brand Ambassador of Ayur Herbal.

RDM Care brands include Ayur Herbals, Womsee and Aromaz. Ayur has also ventured into health care segments with eight variants, which includes products to control diabetics, B.P; purify blood and others.

GOGOLA: Unique marketting Style!

GoGola is a ice gola vendor. Yes, the common Indian slush or gola, selling it in the most uncommon style.. The trendy style of the beverage manufacturer has struck a chord with the today's internet-savvy youth. Have a look at a picture of the uncanny Gogola..

They indeed have a very nice webpage. Just google gogola, alternatively click here. They are no doubt the first ice gola vendors to have a web page..

Wait Mat Kar - Titan Sonata

Sonata, India’s largest selling watch brand from the house of TATA, announced the make-over of its brand identity with the unveiling of an all new refreshingly vibrant logo and a new brand tagline, ‘Wait Mat Kar’.

Sonata’s tag line “Wait Mat Kar” – reflects the urgency, impatience and go-getter attitude of the youth. The new tag line and logo will be unveiled to consumers through a new campaign for the Sonata Super Fibre collection – an array of “strong, stylish & affordable” watches targeted at “college-going” youngsters. 

  

Bytes:-

Titan launched Sonata in 1997 at price point starting at Rs500 which is having M S Dhoni as its brand ambassador. The company is looking to up distribution in the rural markets, advertising it more, and launching newer models at as low as Rs275 to entice consumers to shift from non-branded watches. 

Of the 13 million watches it sells annually, 6 million are Sonatas. The flagship brand Titan and the youth-oriented Fastrack sell 4 million and 2 million units per year. 

Vinsura Vineyards launches new brand identity

Nashik-based Vinsura Vineyards has launched a new brand identity with a new logo. The new logo has been designed by Ahmedabad-based Ignite Mudra. The new logo portrays a grape leaf with ‘VINSURA VINEYARDS’ mentioned under the logo. According to the company release, the grape leaf symbolises plenty – celebration of life. The golden yellow colour of the leaf, an integral part of the brand, depicts richness, quality and maturity.

Milk Mantra- Direct-to-home service of fresh milk

Milk Mantra aims to provide direct-to-home service of fresh milk packed in a more hygienic manner and has tied up with about 50,000 farmers in Orissa to procure milk.Established in 2009, Milk Mantra has raised about $5 million through debt and equity to start its dairy business. It is planning to launch fresh milk in cartons, where fresh milk is available only in plastic covers. Founded in 2009 by Srikumar Misra, Kolkata-based Milk Mantra has already received early stage funding from Avishkar and an angel investor based in UK.

Sandstone Capital and Sequoia Capital have picked up stake in Micromax

Sandstone Capital and Sequoia Capital have picked up a minority stake in India’s largest domestic handset maker, Micromax, for about Rs 200 crore.As per the news on ET.
The company has secured $45 million in funding from TA Associates and has setup it’s design team in Gurgaon and outsourced manufacturing to China. Micromax has recently roped in bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Twinkle Khanna for advertising it’s range of phones.

Founded in 1991 by Rajesh Agarwal as a distributor of computer hardware for brands like Dell, HP and Sony. By 2000 they re-started as telecom equipment distributor, and in April 2008 they entered the mobile handset market.

Mantri Developers : A new corporate brand identity

India’s leading real estate developers, Mantri Developers unveiled their new corporate identity and logo. The new identity reflects the expanded strategic focus of the brand as it evolves from a realty brand to an aspirational luxury brand. 

Trivia:-

Sushil Mantri founded Mantri Developers in 1999 at Bangalore. Mantri Altius in Bangalore was awarded the best residential property in India, an honour by a distinguished panel of judges from CRISIL and CNBC.  Mantri Developers has been awarded "Best Builder 2009" by the Karnataka Government.

The Mantri Developers’ new logo is inspired by the signature of Sushil Mantri Founder and & Managing Director, Mantri Developers. The strong color of the logo connotes the spirit of enterprise, excellence and energy.