Alok Retail mulls franchise route to achieve 1,000 stores target

Alok Retail India, a 100 per cent subsidiary of Alok Industries, has announced plans to open 1,000 stores across the country (mostly via franchising) over the next three years. With immediate plans to add 250-275 new stores by this year-end, the company is in talks with private equity firms to raise Rs 100 crore to fund its expansion. At present, there are 120 stores of H&A across the country. More...

Nordsee set to open maiden outlet in Middle East

Nordsee, a leading German fast-food restaurant chain specialising in seafood, is set to open its first outlet in the Middle East, agency reports. More...

China's Dio Coffee plans IPO in Hong Kong

Dio Coffee, China's largest coffee chain enterprise, has said that it plans to launch its initial public offering in Hong Kong within three years, agency reports. More...

Bharti Wal-Mart's CSR begins in Amritsar

Bharti Wal-Mart has provided 10 pushcarts to the unemployed and economically disadvantaged from rural areas located near its cash-and-carry store, Best Price Modern Wholesale, in Amritsar, reports Business Standard. More...

Café Coffee Day to tie up with retail chains

After entering the cash-and-carry format, Café Coffee Day (CCD) plans to tie up with leading retail chains in the B2C space to vend its coffees at a national level. For promoting in-home coffee consumption, the coffee retail chain proposes to have a ‘dual’ strategy to expand its business both as a packaged retail brand as well as a coffee chain, reports Business Line. More...

SRS Group earmarks Rs 50 crore for its jewellery retail biz

SRS group, a conglomerate having interests in real estate, multiplex cinemas, retail and food & beverages, has announced plans to strengthen its branded jewellery retailing business. More...

Future Group to launch more private labels: Biyani

Kishore Biyani-promoted Future Group is expanding its private labels in various categories with plans to launch more products in new segments, such as toothpaste, as part of plans to become a Rs 25,000 crore conglomerate by 2013-14. "We are launching quite a few new ones actually. We are launching our own toothpaste under the brand name of 'Sach' soon," said Kishore Biyani, chief executive officer, Future Group. More...

Media Matrix to open chain of pubs in Indian subcontinent

Media Matrix Worldwide, a leading media company, has announced a joint venture with Irish Pub Company FZC, UAE to start chain of pubs across India and the Indian subcontinent. More...

Britannia to enter flavoured milk mart

Even as GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is getting into biscuits and energy bars from its traditional platform of health drinks for children, Britannia Industries from its traditional platform of biscuits is getting into health drinks. The Bangalore-headquartered Rs 3,500 crore Britannia Industries is set to test market flavoured milk brand Actimind in Chennai starting early October in an effort to build on its nutrition push, which it has been advocating through its biscuit lines, reports Business Standard. More...

Anil, Sonam star in Montblanc's first TV ad

Writing instrument brand Montblanc is planning to launch its first ever television commercial in India. The German company has roped in Bollywood actor Anil Kapoor and his daughter Sonam Kapoor as brand ambassadors, reports Financial Chronicle. More...

Consumer durable companies looking at 20-30% rise in sales

Consumer durables manufacturers are anticipating 20 to 30 per cent rise in sales growth this festive season, against the same period during 2008-09 despite the lack of adequate availability of finance for them, reports Business Line. More...