Retail

The world can pretty much count on India to buy GOLD even in the midst of a severe economic crisis even at the cost of everything else! Such is the obsession for gold amongst Indians that once again the country has emerged as the largest consumer of gold in the third quarter for the fiscal year of 2008.This at a time when other countries are saving like squirrels in winter. Not only that India has also registered a near seventy percent increase in it’s demand for gold this time of year as compared to last year.

The fashion powerhouse Giorgio Armani has finally entered India. Incidentally it did so in the very same way many of it’s competitors have: by partnering with real estate giants DLF.It’s a convenient platform for Armani as a partnership with DLF empowers it to set up stores in the hundreds of malls being built by DLF across the country and partnering with a real estate giant also ensures land to set up exclusive individual stores as well .The headache for Armani as for every other designer label will be to tap into the Indian market and market their brand through the retail chain.

Titan Watches, India’s most popular watch brand have made a decision to enter the manufacturing of plastic fiber watches. It should be noted that Titan has an impressive array of plastic/fiber watches that are already being sold under their ‘Fastrack’ franchise. This is a brand that is aimed at the high end watch market with a specific focus on the fashion conscious youth sector. The same aim has been continued by glitzy marketing campaigns and forays into retail. The new line of plastic watches will however be manufactured under Titan’s ‘Sonata’ brand.

Indian Fashion and garment powerhouse, Provogue (I) made a surprising decision to split their stock and that too by a ratio of 5:1 which means that every share owned will now be split into five more. The move is a surprising one considering the fact that Provogue’s latest quarter results showed a rise in sales by at least 31.1% while the net profit rose by around 28% as compared to the previous quarter.

Aditya Rao

The word Retail in India is limited to identify a shop that sells branded items at high rates. A customer will attribute the higher cost with the brand that he is buying. Few people ever see beyond this.

You can definitely expect that to change from 2008.Plans are underway for some of the world’s biggest retail stores to enter India. We did know that Wal-Mart is entering India in a huge way.

By Vipin Agnihotri

Storrz.com is a fine example of online retailing in India. The best part about Storrz is that it is using interesting methods to break the online shopping barrier. In my opinion, Storrz.com is probably the first online shopping mall in India that accepts payment at home through any credit or debit card.

By Dr Suvrokamal Dutta

While there is no doubt that investment in Indian retail sector is not for everyone but there are ways for investors to cash in. Theoretically speaking, a budget of between Rs 30-50 lakh buys you into the rampaging retail roller coaster.

There is a lack of real estate opportunities for retailers in Southern states which have certainly hampered the region's rapport as area offering potential growth.

By Vipin Agnihotri

Lucknow, India: There is no doubt that retail is the next big thing in India as retail shops are doing a brilliant business at present. Lots of Indians believe that the retail shops are a good idea as they provide goods at a discount. After all, why pay more when you get it for less at the retail shops?

By Dhruva Jyoti Chowdhury

Kolkata, India: Presently, there is no asset bubble, so nothing to worry for people possessing property in the Indian Real Estate segment.

After a bullish run for two years, the graph of the booming real estate market seems to have begun to slide. This has resulted in a virtual meltdown in the real estate segment which was considered to be overheated until a few months back.