HyperCITY Retail (India) Ltd recently appointed Darshana Shah as the Business Head for Marketing, Visual Merchandising, Loyalty and Space on Hire. She shall play an important role to build HyperCITY as a brand that presents the customer with the best ‘international shopping experience’ and is a value driven hypermarket in the consumer’s mind.

American quick service restaurant chain Quiznos will set up over 150 outlets in North and West India within the next five years. Quiznos has entered into a master franchise agreement with Delhi-based restaurant management company Sub-One Hospitality Services to open outlets across states like Punjab, Delhi/NCR, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, the company said in a press release.

For the first time, Visa payment cards will be sold in kirana outlets to enable those without cards make electronic payments for travel tickets, utility payments and shopping. The US-based payment company has tied up with DCB Bank which has appointed Itz cash as a business correspondent which will distribute cards across 40,000 shops in 2,500 centres.

Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, a part of the Aditya Birla Group, recently launched its new premium retail format `Planet Fashion Grande.’ Driving the growth of its Planet Fashion retail format, the company opened its first Planet Fashion Grande store at 100 ft Road, Indiranagar, Bangalore.

International Expo Consults (IEC) part of Falak Holding, one of UAE’s multi-faceted business conglomerate, stated that with the advent of new technology the ‘Digital Signage’ industry is expected to grow exponentially in 2012 across the region. As per the research carried out by Intel Corporation, the digital signage industry worldwide is growing at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 26 percent and also predicts the world to have over 22 million digital signs by 2015.

India's cabinet on Thursday cleared a plan to throw open the nation's huge retail sector to global supermarket chains in a reform that could herald a consumer revolution.

RockTenn and BVI Networks, Inc., announce the opening of the first large format ShopperGauge(R) Retail Learning Lab at Family Dollar Stores. The goal is to provide a state-of-the-art "learning laboratory" in a set of real stores where Family Dollar and its suppliers can test designs, displays and promotions with customers,

Hindustan Unilever has launched an initiative that allows employees across departments to flag products shortage in any store in the country, a move that can help the country's largest consumer goods maker stem loss of clients to rival brands.

The Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India promoted by BS Nagesh, Vice-Chairman, Shoppers Stop is an endeavour towards recognising and enhancing retail talent in the country. Founded by the enterprising Nagesh, the organisation aims at empowering the retail associates i.e. the sales staff in every way possible.

The government is giving serious thought to a proposal to raise foreign direct investment cap in single-brand retail from 51%.“We are seriously considering raising the bar (on single brand retail) further… we may allow a higher FDI,” Anand Sharma, Commerce and Industry Minister said at the CII-ET Luxury Summit. He, however, did not mention whether the limit would be raised to 100%.

Vivacity Mall, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sheth Developers & Realtors has commenced its fit outs of over 1 million sq ft of leasable space and is all set for a grand opening in the first quarter of 2012. As an international consultant of retail design and mall fit – outs Mr. Roland Righton will overlook the entire process for all the retail outlets in the mall.

Stephen Remedios, Head - Customer Marketing & Modern Trade put his papers at Hindustan Unilever Ltd. and 16th September' 2011 was the last day of his ten years and plus journey at Hindustan Unilever.

Hewlett Packard- the market leader in imaging and printing industry has taken an initiative to organize the (PSP) meet across India in 6 cities: Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and New Delhi. As a product of this program HP will convene the Print Service Providers and their customers to educate them with upcoming trends in the printing industry, to build trust and strengthen relationships and to develop a platform for information
exchange.

Marking a first for the city, Planet Retail Holdings brings to Pune its first 'Women's Only' Guess store - a 1519 sq.ft. store which currently displays the Guess Spring Summer 2011 collection with accessories like handbags and watches.

Starting operations in the cash rich state of Punjab. Metro Cash & Carry opened its first wholesale store for the benfit of hotels, restaurants, caterers, traders and small offices. The facility is spread over a sprawling area of four acres with a selling space amounting to 60,000 square feet housing as many as 10,000 food and non-food articles.

Come September 30, 2011 and Bata Indi shall have a new Managing Director in Rajeev Gopalakrishnan. The appointment comes in the light of the promotion of outgoing MD Marceo Villagran to Group Managing Director, Latin America. Gopalakrishnan has been groomed by Villigran for the past few years to take over this post as a part of a long term business plan for the Bata Group.

Increasing clutter and dwindling sales are forcing designer labels to exit from malls and once again set up stand alone outlets. With the number of ready to wear brands going up, the exclusivity of malls no longer exists and thus, the quality of shoppers visiting the stores has changed. While anyone would be ready to invest in a high end ready to wear brand, the cost being only a slight consideration,

A 53,000 square feet Best Price Modern Wholesae Cash-n-Carry store was recently inaugated at Indore by Arvind Mediratta, Executive Vice-President and Business Head - Cash and Carry, Bharti Walmart, making it the eigth such store in Madhya Pradesh. Bharti Walmart is a joint venture between indian Bharti Enterprises and American retail giant Walmart.

The prices of gold have been hitting new highs for quite some time now. In a festival ridden country like India, jewellery froms a major section of the shopper's basket. Despite this, jewellers are witnessing and all time low in the sales of jewellery and have redorted to offering monthly plabns which may be looked at as a kind of savings of investment to lure sales.

Having a firm grip over the flat screen market in the country, Sony India now plans to strengthten the same by increasing its dealer nerwork to 6,000 outlets in the near future. The company shall spend a hefty Rs. 150 crores in order to market its latest LED tv range. Tadato Kimura, GM – marketing of Sony India, said, “The market for LED TVs has been steadily increasing over the past one year.

4P Brandcom Pvt. Ltd. group a single window solutions provider for OOH and BTL domain launches its retail division 4P Retail. The division will operate as an SBU all by itself and fall under the purview of the parent company.

After a year of observation and feedback, Delhi Duty Free Services (DDFS), India’s largest duty free operator at T3 terminal, IGI Airport, has introduced the facility of 'Shop and Collect'. This particular facility allows travellers to browse, select and pay for items while at the departure section and collect them from the arrival terminal from the 'Shop and Collect' counter.

Popular ethnic wear chain of stores Chhabra 555 opened its 50th store in the national capital at Vikas Marg. The store spread over an area of 100 sq.ft. showcases a wide range of ehtnic wear including sarees, suit dupattas, lehangas and fabrics for women.

Riding high on the success of its advisory wing, Beyond Sqaurefeet has launched a new entity by the name Beyond Squarefeet Mall Management which shall deal exclusively with the various aspects of mall management. Considering that the number of malls in the toer I and tier II cities and towns will go up to nearly 400, the need for professinal mall management will be surely felt.

In probably one of the most unusual and bizarre incidents, the retail industry lost a valued asset in Ved PRakash Arya when he succumed to injuries sustained when a tree fell over him on his daily morning walk. Arya is survived by wife and two daughters.

VALUELINE, a Hyderabad based one of India’s leading chain of International luxury sanitary ware, is all set to launch India’s largest showroom for some of world’s most finest and sophisticated premium sanitary ware brands.

July 2011 saw Featherlite announce its foray into a segment that is completely new to them. With the unveiling of the “Featherlite Living” store, Featherlite not only stepped into the realm of living room furniture, but also unravelled the first of it’s kind store in Bangalore.

Imagine going to your favourite apparel store and just standing in front of the mirror and getting to know how outfits will look on you. Tempting, isn’t it? Well, the wait to the future of trial rooms isn’t a long one anymore. In association with Cisco, John Lewis is all set to provide stores with a new interactive system that will allow customers to try on multiple fashion lines without actually having to go through the actual process of changing!

Established in 1976, Bosideng International Holdings Limited is the largest apparel company in the PRC. With more than 7500 retail outlets selling down apparel under its six core brands including "Bosideng", "Snow Flying", "Kangbo", "Bengen" (previously known as "Bingjie"), "Shuangyu" and "Shangyu". Through these brands, the Group offers a wide range of down apparel products targeting various consumer segments to strengthen and expand its leading position in the PRC down apparel industry.

Spar, the food retail chain, has opened its first hypermarket at Brookfields Plaza, Coimbatore. The single floored large format store spread over 36,500 sq. ft, showcases over 30,000 products in different categories such as children's, living, kitchen, apparel, gifting, electronics, fresh produce, speciality food concepts, staples, health, beauty and food.

Putting India mew prominently on the luxury retailing map, the retailers from the world over shall meet in the national capital on October 11, 2011. Top executives of renowned international brands like Burbery, Jimmy Choo, Pomellato, Ungaro, Pucci and Loro Piana, will discuss the present scenario and issues inhibiting the growth of the luxury sector in India.

Occupying an exampsive 9340 sq.ft., Planet Sports opened its 22nd point of sale and 9th stand alone outlet in Mumbai at Infinity Mall recently. Planet Sports is one of the largest and leading multi-brand sports and lifestyle speciality retail chain outlets.

Shubhranshu Singh, National Head, Customer Marketing & Key Accounts for Diageo India is moving to Visa as Marketing Director, India & South Asia effective August 1st. In the last year and a half, at Diageo, Shubhranshu built the Customer Marketing function from scratch and led a large team that delivered great performance across the board in Shopper activations

An ASSOCHAM survey conducted from March-June 2011 revealed that 35 per cent youth residing in the Indian urban cities spend Rs 5,000 per month on clothing alone. 2,000 youngsters in the age group of 13-21 years were surveyed to evaluate their apparel purchasing tendencies in 10 cities

The demand for office and retail space in Bangalore has witnessed a sound growth in the second quarter of the present calendar year and is expected to witness a rising trend as corporates increase their headcount in the city and lease large retail spaces. The city has absorbed a net space of 2.05 million sq ft during this period, including 1.76 million

Pondicherry-based leather bags and accessories maker Hidesign will soon announce a joint venture with Italy’s Braccialini to launch the brand in India. As part of the proposed JV, Hidesign will also set up a new production line at one of its manufacturing units to make Braccialini bags and other leather items.

Uttar Pradesh traders demonstrated against the proposal to allow 51 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail in India on 27th July 2011. The traders are apprehensive that the proposal, if cleared by the union cabinet, would spell disaster for the neighbourhood kirana stores and endanger the livelihood of millions of traders.

Magnolia Bakery which shot to fame with the sitcom Sex and the City shall soon be whipping up some delicacies for the Indian citizens too. The fluffy pastry with creamy, pastel-coloured frosting, which gained cult status in New York and instant fame worldwide after being featured in the hit television series, may soon be available in India,

Faces Cosmetics, one of the leading Canadian cosmetics brands, is set to launch three exclusive stores in Mumbai at Linking Road, Oberoi Mall and Infinity Mall. The new stores will offer a wide range of internationally acclaimed make-up, skincare and beauty accessory products. It will also offer free makeovers and make-up consultation.

Retailer Shoppers Stop, part of the K. Raheja Group, will look to explore partnerships with overseas firms once foreign direct investment is permitted in multi-brand retail.

Leading Indian leather accessories brand Hidesign has announced the opening of its first exclusive store at Kathmandu, Nepal. The Hidesign store is located in the heart of Nepal’s commercial district Pulchowk. “Hidesign is increasingly focusing on expansion into the countries neighbouring India,” said Vikas Kapur, international director.

Premium fashion and lifestyle destination Shoppers Stop has today launched its 8th store in Delhi – NCR at Jacksons Crowne Heights, Rohini. Spread across 48,000 sq.ft, the store offers a wide range of Indian and international brands in cosmetics, footwear, fragrances, personal accessories, jewellery, fashion apparel, home decor,

The Kishore Biyani led Future Group has tied up with Germany’s largest loyalty solution provider, Payback, which already has 10 million members in India. Future Group plans to launch in September, its loyalty card ‘Payback’ across its various retail formats to attract Indian consumers that are seeking more deals

Godrej Interio, the furniture store from Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., has piloted an unusual experiment in Thane city and set up a separate unit called 'U&Us', where the customers will be able to co-create their home furniture and interiors with the local carpenters hired by the store.

India launches it’s very first one stop shop for aquariums and its accessories. Not only does Ocean World excel at developing and creating custom-made aquariums for every occasion, they add the personal touch to each of their creations by collaborating with interior designers and architects.

DIESL (Drive India Enterprise Solution Limited), Tata group’s logistics arm, is increasing its focus on the Retail Sector which contributes over 10% to its service business revenues and expects to improve the contribution of the fast growing retail sector in its business mix.

Eleven 10-foot tall figurines of basketball star souring inside Niketown’s five-story atrium was just part of the slam-dunk package that earned Best in Show honors in the VMSD 2011 International Visual Competition

A successful episode of Euroshop 2011 drew to a closure in Düsseldorf on 2nd March 2011, Wednesday. Boasting of over 2,038 exhibitors from 53 nations, the event saw 106,000 visitors, 60% of which were trade visitors from more than 90 countries around the globe.

The Integer Group announced today that it will open offices in a number of key markets across Asia Pacific to serve both its existing network client base and to capitalize on the growing demand for its global shopper marketing capability.

Australian headquartered global point-of-purchase powerhouse, Creative Instore Solutions (CIS) made a clean sweep at the 2010 Australia/ New Zealand POPAI Marketing at Retail Awards with eight wins out of the nine nominated categories – including the coveted Semi-Permanent Display of the Year for the innovative Red Bull E Shot Modular display.

For the 17th time Messe Dusseldorf, together with the EHI Retail Institute as sponsor, will be staging the world’s leading event on Retail. EuroShop 2011, scheduled to happen from 26th February to 2nd March’ 2011 in Dusseldorf will be the hub for the International retail industry.

In-Store Asia 2011, the 6th Edition of the event marked a successful closure on 3rd Feb’ 2011. Based on the theme ‘Insight become activity’ the three days of the event were about insight, solutions & celebration and at the end all this ringed in great business opportunities for everyone.

The world’s one of the largest independent food retail chain, SPAR, which is spreading across 33 countries, unveils its first hypermarket in Delhi. The hypermarket, spreading over 74,000 sq. ft., on a single floor, stands 6th store in India, having 5 existing stores in Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mangalore.

Penetrating Indian market in 2009 joining hand with Blues Clothing, the famous Italian brand Versace has launched its first Home Boutique in India opening its doors at The Gallery in MG, one of the most prestigious shopping centers in Delhi.

Giorgetti S.p.A. - the Italian designer furniture brand, launched its first store in India in Mumbai making the city third to host the brand’s standalone store after Milan and New York.Speaking at the launch, Mr. Carlo Giorgetti, President, Giorgetti S.p.A. said "It’s our immense pleasure to enter the Indian market and we aim to open a new chapter in the Luxury Furniture market in India. It is truly the 'Store of the Future', all we want is to offer people access to world class furnishing articles, entirely focused on the ultimate customer experience” .

Rajesh Exports has launched Shubh Service Centre in Bangalore that allows customers to check the purity and weight of gold jewellery. In an attempt to bring transparency into the jewellery trade, the company has introduced advanced XRF laser machine at the service centre to accurately determine the purity of gold. The centre also allows customers to melt their old jewellery using induction technology.

Gitanjali Lifestyle, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Gitanjali Gems, has brought its department store 'Maya' to Mumbai. Located at Star Mall in Dadar, the 8,000-sq.ft outlet – its first in Mumbai – is being positioned as a woman-centric store showcasing over 150 Indian and international brands across apparel, jewellery, watches, accessories and footwear, among other categories.

India’s first and premium frozen yogurt chain Cocoberry with a cult following among health-conscious consumers is on an expansion spree. In addition to adding outlets across different cities, the company has also tied up with Fortis Healthcare, one the leading chain of Hospitals; and DT Cinema, a leading multiplex chain.

Reliance Brands Limited, a part of Reliance Industries announced an exclusive long-term license agreement with Quiksilver Holding S.à.r.l. a fully owned subsidiary of Quiksilver Inc., the world’s leading outdoor sports lifestyle company to launch its core brands ‘Quiksilver’ and ‘Roxy’.

The original, natural and ethical beauty brand The Body Shop launches its first store in Nagpur at Empress Mall. The Body Shop products are all naturally inspired and ethically produced beauty and cosmetics products, which are not tested on animals.

Vintage Earth has recently launched their first store in Rajouri Garden, New Delhi after making a mark in Mumbai. Inpired by the vibrant and romantic charm of Rajasthan, Vintage Earth caters to the Fashion, Home and Lifestyle needs of the customer.

Arvind Ltd has entered into a long-term Direct-to-Retail (DTR) licence with Iconix Brand Group Inc for its Mossimo brand. Under the agreement signed recently, the multi-faceted wholesaler, retailer and distributor will hold the exclusive multi-year licence to manufacture and distribute Mossimo apparel and accessories across India.

In these past days, with a new year setting in, Classic Marble Company (CMC), a pioneer in the imported marble industry, has kept itself quite busy. High on innovation, this Marble tycoon has presented the market with two new stones from its Kalingastone collection – Camelia and Pietra Santa.

World's second largest retailer Carrefour has entered the booming Indian retail sector with its first wholesale cash-and-carry outlet in Delhi. The 5,200-sq.m store at Seelampur Metro Mall, inaugurated on December 30, will offer 10,000 food and non-food items to professional businesses, institutions, restaurants and local retailers.

Capital Jewels, the first ever flagship store of D’damas was officially inaugurated in Greenpark. The new 1,000 sq ft showroom has been designed with artistic use of materials, store design and accent lighting to give the look and feel of a luxury retail showroom.

Bharti Retail, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bharti Enterprises, today inaugurated its flagship easyday Market store at Gurgaon located in Omaxe mall, Sohna Road. The flagship store offers customers a great shopping experience, high in-stock levels and more than 15,000 quality products at best prices all under one roof.

Mantri Square, the largest mall in India, has been adjudged the best RETAIL PROJECT OF THE YEAR at the Property Awards 2010. The Property Awards 2010 recognizes, honor’s and celebrates the achievements of all those individuals and organizations, which have made the real estate industry proud by their outstanding work.

Shokoladnitsa, which is renowned in Moscow, Russia for its chain of coffee house, is all set to enter India at the end of this year. Today, Shokoladnitsa is a dynamically developing company from the F&B business in Moscow, region of Russia and CIS countries.

One of the fastest growing footwear companies Guru Shoe Tech (P) Ltd., which has been able to establish its benchmark in manufacturing and distribution of leather footwear, has unveiled their first exclusive retail store in Agra.

Godrej Interio, known for stylish range of furniture and interiors solutions, has come up with an exclusive designer outlet in Noida.Company has very well taken care of the needs of their customers.

Bruijn, an international brand known for handmade chocolates and imported nuts, has unveiled its first Delhi outlet. The 953 sq.ft outlet has been contemporarily design and its robust presence of orange and white colours gives the international feel of the brand.