Andaz Brand Continues Expansion with Three New Locations

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) announced today the official opening of Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, marking the first Mexican location for the Andaz brand, and the anticipated openings of Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa and Andaz Delhi later this week. The three properties will join 13 other Andaz hotels, each celebrating the local culture and unique spirit of neighborhoods in diverse and culturally rich global gateway cities and top resort destinations around the world. With several more hotel openings in the pipeline, the Andaz brand provides global growth opportunities for Hyatt.

“Hyatt is committed to purposeful and meaningful growth,” said David Tarr, senior vice president of real estate and development, Hyatt. “With three Andaz hotels opening this week in very different parts of the world, and the recent opening of Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market, it’s clear the brand is a growth driver domestically and internationally for Hyatt’s luxury lifestyle brands.”

“These hotels truly fulfill the spirit of the Andaz brand, weaving the sights, sounds and tastes of their surroundings into the experience and immersing guests in the local culture,” said Sandra Cordova Micek, global senior vice president of brands, Hyatt. “Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa, Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, and Andaz Delhi will create environments where guests leave feeling enriched, knowing their experience was much more than the expected hotel stay.”

Like all Andaz hotels, these properties will celebrate local culture and the spirit of their respective neighborhoods, bringing to life its history and personalities in unique and surprising ways. Now open and accepting reservations, Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya introduces guests to a hidden paradise. The resort’s breathtaking design reflects the native Mayan culture and brings to life locally inspired experiences and indigenous environment for guests, whether by exploring the lush mangrove preserve, relaxing in the 10,000 square-foot Naum Spa, sunbathing in one of three outdoor pools, or unwinding on the pristine white sanded Caribbean beach. Four unique restaurants and bars offer distinguished culinary experiences, serving fresh ingredients and showcasing authentic cooking techniques – all with stunning views of the pools, lagoon, and ocean. To ensure an authentic stay, the hotel has teamed up with a series of local artists, including Senkoe, a Riviera Maya graffiti artist, who was tapped to curate vibrant and colorful murals seen throughout the resort. They also offer a series of inspiring activities to allow guests to truly absorb Mayan culture, such as learning to speak the language or preparing the best tacos in a Tacology class.

Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa is situated on 23 acres of sweeping desert landscape at the base of Camelback Mountain. Signature restaurant Weft & Warp Art Bar + Kitchen will feature an exhibition kitchen with a plancha and will serve contemporary Sonoran cuisine in small, sharable plates. Palo Verde Spa & Apothecary will offer guests seven treatment rooms and a customizable menu utilizing unique and indigenous ingredients, as well as the opportunity to invent their own concoctions at the Desert Blending Bar. Through an extensive artist in residence program in partnership with the nearby Cattle Track Arts community, guests will be able to interact, learn and create alongside local craftsman in painting, pottery, photography and more. The hotel is expected to open later this week.

Andaz Delhi will offer easy access to some of the city's most iconic monuments and gardens, fashion boutiques, arts and cultural centers and the vibrant city nightlife. Designed to capture the spirit of Delhi by renowned architect Bauer Latoza Studio from Chicago, and interior designer Virgile and Partners from London, the hotel will integrate traditional Indian elements, colors and flavors into a modern design inspired by the unique craftsmanship of India. Taking an innovative approach to restaurants and bars, Andaz Delhi will emphasize consciously sourced ingredients and local artisanal produce in the uniquely conceived European food hall – AnnaMaya. The ballroom is one of the largest indoor luxury wedding spaces in Delhi and will provide a blank canvas to customize and decorate the space based on the individuality and style of any guest. The unique Elephant Path will add a sense of drama to a traditional Indian wedding. The hotel is expected to open later this week.

These new expected additions demonstrate the brand’s strong growth plans and commitment to immersing guests in the very best of local culture. To learn more, visit www.andaz.com or follow the brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The term “Hyatt” is used in this release for convenience to refer to Hyatt Hotels Corporation and/or one or more of its affiliates.

About Andaz

Global in scale while local in perspective, Andaz hotels weave the sights, sounds and tastes of their surroundings into each property for an experience that truly immerses guests in the eclectic culture of each destination. Through personalized, unscripted service, Andaz hotels create a barrier-free environment where guests are encouraged to explore their personal sense of style and become inspired by the spirit of the culture around them. Fourteen Andaz hotels are currently open: Andaz 5th Avenue and Andaz Wall Street in New York, Andaz San Diego, Andaz West Hollywood, Andaz Napa, Andaz Savannah, Andaz Maui at Wailea, Andaz Ottawa ByWard Market, Andaz Peninsula Papagayo in Costa Rica, Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, Andaz London Liverpool Street, Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht, Andaz Xintiandi in Shanghai and Andaz Tokyo Toranomon Hills. For more information, please visit www.andaz.com. You can also find the Andaz brand on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 12 premier brands and 679 properties in 54 countries, as of September 30, 2016. The Company's purpose to care for people so they can be their best informs its business decisions and growth strategy and is intended to create value for shareholders, build relationships with guests and attract the best colleagues in the industry. The Company's subsidiaries develop, own, operate, manage, franchise, license or provide services to hotels, resorts, branded residences and vacation ownership properties, including under the Park Hyatt®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt®, Andaz®, Hyatt Centric®, The Unbound Collection by Hyatt ™ , Hyatt Place®, Hyatt House®, Hyatt Ziva ™ , Hyatt Zilara ™ and Hyatt Residence Club® brand names and have locations on six continents. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Resource: http://www.businesswire.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Being Human fashion jewellery to be launched on Salman's birthday

Mumbai, Dec 26 : Bollywood superstar Salman Khan's "Being Human" brand is expanding with a line of jewellery that will be launched on the superstar's 51st birthday on Tuesday.

Being Human - The Salman Khan Foundation has tied up with Style Quotient Jewellery Pvt. Ltd. to launch a range of Being Human fashion jewellery.

"Being Human is a brand with a soul, and with this association, we are moving to the next step of expansion. People have always given me and Being Human tremendous love and I hope we continue to receive it in the days to come," Salman said in a statement.

The design philosophy of the brand embodies a perfect balance of Salman's unique style and International fashion trends. Sixty five per cent of the jewellery will cater to women with collections like Boho, Metal Faith, Tassel and Bling while 35 per cent of the men's range will comprise of Being Human Value collection and Funk collection.

The design that comprises of rings, earrings, neck pieces and bracelets will cater to everyday wear and has been priced from Rs.150 to Rs.3000.

The jewellery will be catering to young audiences of 15-25 years.

"We have worked very closely in the past with Salman Khan and the association has been a gratifying and joyous one. Salman Khan represents modern-day India and has a huge global and mass appeal. His presence will boost our brand equity and will assist us to move effortlessly into national and international markets," said Prasad Kapre, the CEO and Director of Style Quotient Jewellery Pvt Ltd.

Resource: http://www.ianslive.in/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

The Year That Was: 2016's biggest buyouts

Newsrooms were buzzing through the year with stories of high profile corporate buys. While a lot happened in terms of acquisitions and mergers, Brand Equity decided to consolidate, an extensive list of big buys of the year.

Dentsu Aegis Network’s big bets

Dentsu Aegis Network (DAN) has been on a ‘shopping spree’ since the beginning of 2016. Under the leadership of Ashish Bhasin, the network is apparently closing in on its stated aim of being the No 2 by 2017. In order to scale up its services early this year it merged New York-based lifestyle marketing agency MKTG with Fountainhead Entertainment, an event management company that the agency acquired last year. The new unit is now called Fountainhead-MKTG.

Later in September, DAN added PR firm, Perfect Relations Group, in the kitty, but the biggest pick of the year for the agency was Happy Creative Services. The Bengaluru-based creative marketing agency, joined the global mcgarrybowen network of agencies, and was rebranded as happy mcgarrybowen, recently. This deal also marked the entry of the first mcgarrybowen agency in India. Early this month, DAN bought experiential design studio, Fractal, which is now Fractal Ink Design Studio.

Digital and technology companies’ consolidation play

This year, marketing technology company, Hansa Cequity, acquired a majority stake in analytics firm D-Square, and if sources are to be believed the company will be making more buyouts to build its new products and platforms business, soon.

In 2016, advertising technology startup Media.net, founded by tech entrepreneur Divyank Turakhia, was acquired for about $900 million by a group of Chinese investors. The deal is apparently the third-largest in the ad tech industry, after Google's acquisition of DoubleClick and Microsoft Corp's deal for aQuantive.

Mid-this year, Publicis iStrat, the digital agency acquired by the Publicis Groupe in 2012, was merged with Leo Burnett India's Indigo Consulting.

After half a decade of working together, consumer research company, Nielsen, bought Mumbai-based mobile usage measurer Informate Mobile Intelligence for an undisclosed amount, to improve mobile measurement globally.

Last month, we reported how Mumbai-based digital media agency GoZoop is shelling out money to bring more specialized SMEs under its brand. In October, the agency acquired an offline activation agency and syndicated content provider 56 Blue Lights in an all-cash deal. According to industry insiders, next year GoZoop may buy two more niche firms, as a part of its expansion plans.

In a bid to buttress its digital portfolio, Cognizant, recently acquired privately held Mirabeau BV, a digital marketing and customer experience agency specialising in industries such as travel and hospitality, financial services, retail, and B2B sectors.

The year when Yahoo was sold out…

2016 was a year when Internet pioneer, Yahoo, sealed a deal to sell its core online assets, ending a 20-year run as an independent company. US telecom giant Verizon Communications bought Yahoo's search and advertising operations for $4.83 billion. Post that, the company scrapped a lot of iconic features, and recently witnessed two massive data breaches. According to multiple publications, it is understood that Verizon has formed a legal team to explore a reduction in the purchase price or killing the deal altogether. 2017 certainly doesn’t look merry for Yahoo!

Microsoft Corp’s expensive purchase

Microsoft Corp’s LinkedIn Corp deal for $26.2 billion was the biggest surprise of the year. Considering Microsoft's history, experts feel that this time the company has spent wisely, and the deal will pay off, in the long run. Both the companies spent about six months as a part of the regulatory reviews process, and to get to know each other. The deal was finally closed early this month.

Indian brands that spent big monies

In April, Hindustan Unilever acquired Masons Group's flagship brand, Indulekha for Rs. 330 crore, its biggest buy of the year.

Tata group’s Titan acquired 62% stake in online jewellery player CaratLane for Rs 357.24 crore, which is again believed to the big move by the multinational conglomerate in 2016.

In July, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail bought global clothing brand Forever 21 in the Indian market for $26 million (around Rs 175.52 crore), making it one of the best deals of the year. Global cosmetics giant L'Oreal acquired a larger share of the leading online beauty store Nykaa, making it the smart buy of the year in the category.

Godrej was seen investing in home and personal care companies in Africa. Dabur, too, followed a similar strategy. Both the companies will continue to keep the momentum beyond national boundaries for expansion.

Makemytrip and Ibibo’s merger that happened this year, many believe is an impending consolidation in the country’s consumer internet sector.

Media deals that made headlines

AT&T's Time Warner acquisition sent the entire media industry into a tizzy. AT&T is America’s second-largest mobile operator while Time Warner is owner of prized content-generating powerhouses such as HBO and Warner Brothers. The deal signifies a growing trend of telecom giants going the whole hog for content, similar to the Reliance-Network 18 deal back home, believe experts.

In India, the sports-broadcasting sector saw a big shake-up in mid-2016 when Zee Group’s Ten Sports bouquet of sports channels was bought by Sony Pictures Networks India for a reported sum of Rs 2,600 crore.

It was also the year when Anil Ambani decided to sell his stake in his radio and TV business to Zee Group. Ambani, however, continues to own the business channel BTVi and continues to invest in film production and digital.

Zee snapped up Hum 106.2 FM—UAE's first Hindi and Urdu film and music radio station. India Abroad, one of America's oldest and most prestigious Indian community newspapers, was sold by Rediff.com to a US-based Indian-owned cloud computing company following a sharp drop in the weekly's circulation and revenue.

Recently, budding media startup ScoopWhoop acquired Touchfone Technologies. The buyout was the first for the Kalaari Capital-backed ScoopWhoop, which was founded in 2013.

The startup buys

Flipkart’s Myntra stole the show in 2016 from Snapdeal and others by buying Jabong for $70 million, which in 2013 had been valued at $508 million. Myntra, also, acquired a 51% stake in HRX, the lifestyle brand co-owned by Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan and Exceed Entertainment. The startup also bought Bengaluru-based firm Cubeit for an undisclosed amount to focus on content aggregation.

Another interesting development was online baby products seller, FirstCry, buying offline retailer Mahindra BabyOye for Rs 362.1 crore.

Food delivery startup Foodpanda, that was facing losses, also got acquired by Delivery Hero, recently. Online classifieds firm Quikr acquired five companies in five months, from Grabhouse to StayGlad. The company now is betting big on local services. However, CommonFloor was its biggest buy.

Online payments and e-commerce marketplace, Paytm’s sole purchase was Delhi-based Shopsity, in a bid to strengthen its offline retail network.

E-commerce giant, Snapdeal, acquired marketing and personalisation service company, TargetingMantra, for an undisclosed amount, in order to enhance its customer buying process.

In a sign of consolidation in the branded hotel room aggregation space, Oyo Rooms acquired rival Zo Rooms.

Resource: http://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Christmas music from around the world

To usher in the Yuletide spirit, the Capital City Minstrels (CCM) are scheduled to perform a series of concerts showcasing Christmas music from around the world from Tuesday to Saturday in the National Capital Region. The events will be held at some of the city’s most popular concert venues. A private concert will also be organised for the President.

The CCM comprises people of all ages, nationalities and walks of life, including students, professionals, corporate executives and embassy personnel, bound together by their love for music.

According to the group, the music will include the opulence of “And the Glory of the Lord”, composed by George Frideric Handel, the first chorus of his glorious “Messiah” written in 1741, and Heinrich Schütz’s “Chorus of the Angels” from “The Christmas Story”.

The choir has also come up with its own rendition of Franz Gruber’s “Silent Night”, which it hopes will be well-received as it is different from the most well-known version of the carol. Other songs include “Worship the King” by Billy Smiley and Bill George; Kent Newbury’s “For We Have Seen His Star”; Felix Bernard’s “Winter Wonderland” and the energetic “Gotta Whisper Gotta Shout!” by Victor Johnson.

Line-up

Tuesday’s concert will be held at the Teen Murti Auditorium at 7 p.m. The event at the Hungarian Information and Cultural Centre will be held on Wednesday at 7 p.m. Entry to both the concerts is free. Friday’s show at the Epicentre in Gurgaon at 7.30 p.m. is a ticketed event. Entry to the concert at the Vatican Embassy Chapel on Saturday at 7 p.m. is also free.

Resource: http://www.thehindu.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Year-end special: 10 events that shook your stock market all through 2016

NEW DELHI: It was a roller-coaster ride for equity investors all through the year gone by, as the benchmark indices came off after hitting fresh 52-week highs earlier in the year, weighed down by both local as well as global factors. 

Calendar 2016 failed to cheer market participants as the benchmark indices gave up most of the gains made during the year. But that did not make investors wary of mutual funds (MFs), which pumped in over Rs 13,000 crore into the domestic equity market is likely to sing a similar tone. Most economists and analysts have slashed their growth targets for the economy as well as the benchmark Sensex. 

So what really spoilt the party on Dalal Street in 2016? We looked at the top ten events that rocked the market during the year. 

The latest event risk to hit market sentiment was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surgical strike on black money. 

Demonetisation has been the boldest reform of this government, which has the potential to bring long-term structural benefits to the economy, while causing pain in the short term due to a cash crunch. 

"We expect demonetisation to benefit the economy in multiple ways, like higher tax revenues that may lead to an increase in public expenditure and help the government pass on the benefits in the form of lower direct and indirect taxes," Vaibhav Agrawal, Head of Research & ARQ, Angel Broking, told ETMarkets.com. 

Demand in the consumer sector and sectors associated with it are likely to take a hit in the near term, but once the cash situation normalises, demand should bounce back, experts said. 

Surgical strike on PoK: Sept 29 

The domestic equity market went into a tailspin after the Director General of Military Operations said that Indian Army carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads in Pakistani soil. Analysts feared that a series of such strikes in near future could rekindle tensions between the both nations, roiling markets. 

Some analysts on D-Street were factoring in a 10 per cent fall if the geopolitical tensions between the two nations were to escalate. However, Pakistan dismissed India's claim of 'surgical strike' as an illusion, and termed the incident as 'cross-border fire'. 

Arrival of Trump: Nov 9 

Republican Donald Trump surprised experts by beating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the US presidential election, which gave way to 'Trumponomics'. The word 'Trumponomics' refers to the bold economic plans such as cuts in personal and corporate taxes and restructuring of bilateral trade deals, as well as protectionism that can not only impact the US but economies across the world, including India. 

Trump built his election campaign around the ideas of promoting domestic manufacturingand improving American infrastructure. He wants to improve labour force participation to improve economic growth. 

"Due to these reasons, we can expect significantly higher government spending. Trump's efforts to focus on improving domestic manufacturing is unlikely to impact Indian equities majorly," said Agrawal of Angel Broking. 

Trump's election as next US President is likely to create opportunities for Indian generic drugmakers, some analysts said. 

"Though pricing pressure will continue in the US, Trumps' proposal to lift entry barriers for safe, reliable and cheaper products bodes well for Indian companies," Gaurav Bhandari, Managing Director, Centrum Broking, told ETMarkets.com. 

All clear to GST: Aug 3 

The Rajya Sabha passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill on goods and services tax (GST) on August 3 a year after it received the approval of the Lok Sabha. This triggered a surge in the equity market and strengthened the case for the so-called 'India story'. 

GST, which is considered as a game-changing reform for the economy, is scheduled to get implemented by April 2017. Rough estimates suggest that it could add up to .. 

2 ppt to India's GDP growth. 

However, the Goods and Services Tax Council failed to break the logjam on the crucial issue of division of tax administration between Central and state authorities. 

"While the compensation logic between state and centre was seen as one of the last of the contentious issues for GST, the demonetisation drive may cast some shadows on the roll out deadline of April 2017," Anand James, Chief Market Strategist, Geojit BNP Paribas told ETMarkets.com. Either way, there is no doubt that their successes is intertwined and are not mutually exclusive," he said. 

Brexit vote: June 24 

Britain voted to exit the EU with the 'Leave' camp winning with 51.9 per cent votes in a historic referendum, which was followed by the resignation of David Cameron as Prime Minister. 

It may take years of negotiations for the UK to disentangle from the EU law, finance, trade, foreign policy, say experts. The immediate impact was felt across currency markets with major equity indices losing 2-10 per cent. 

"If Brexit is a precursor to a tectonic shift in the euro zone, it could eventually disintegrate the entire European Union. Then, it may impact us in the short term," Jimeet Modi, CEO, SAMCO Securities told ETMarkets.com. 

"But in the long run, it will help India attain prominence in the global landscape, as we would emerge as a safe haven in such times of turmoil, attracting global funds," he said. 

Fed rate hike: Dec 14 

On the expected lines, the US Federal Reserve raised interest rates by 25 bps to between 0.50 per cent and 0.75 per cent, its second such hike since last December, and forecast a steeper path for borrowing costs in 2017. 

The Fed's median outlook for rates rose to three quarter point increases in 2017 from two as of September, which would be followed by another three increases in both 2018 and 2019 before the rate levels off at a long-run '"normal' 3.0 per cent, analysts say. 

The committee expects that economic conditions will evolve in a manner that will warrant only gradual increases in the federal funds rate, said the FOMC statement. 

Rexit: June 18 

In a surprising move on June 18, Raghuram Rajan said he would step down as the Governor of the Reserve Bank of India on September 4 at the end of his three-year term. Rajan was under attack from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy for his inflation-centric monetary policy. 

In response to Rajan's resignation, the government named his deputy Urjit Patel as his successor, an appointment hailed as a vote for continuity. 

After taking over in September 2013, Rajan raised the short- term lending rate from 7.25 per cent to 8 per cent. The governor kept interest rates high throughout 2014, but began the process of rate easing in January 2015. 

Rupee at new low: Nov 24 

The rupee collapsed to a fresh life-time low of 68.86 against the dollar amid sustained foreign capital outflows. Foreign portfolio investors retreated from emerging markets like India towards U S dollar on hopes of protectionist measures by President-elect Donald Trump. 

Expectations that Trump will adopt an expansionary fiscal measure lifted US bond yields and fuelled a rally in the US dollar. This has prompted FPIs to offload some of their holdings in India market. 

India-Mauritius Tax Treaty: May 11 

India and Mauritius signed the protocol amending the agreement for avoidance of double taxation with Mauritius which is the biggest source of foreign direct investment and portfolio investment into India. 

The island nation accounts for over 34 per cent of FDI in India while Singapore contributes 16 per cent. Earlier, the bilateral tax treaty exempted fund flows from capital gains tax. 

For the benefit of investors, the protocol provides for grandfathering of investments as the new regime will apply to shares acquired on or after April 1, 2017. There will be a transition period from April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2019, during which capital gains will be taxed at half the domestic rate. 

Crude oil breaks $57: Dec 12 

Oil prices rose to a level last seen in July 2016 as markets digested a landmark pact between oil producing countries. Global benchmark Brent crude briefly rose above $57 a barrel for the first time since July 2015. 

Rising crude prices are making market participants worried about the possible impact of rising crude oil prices on Indian markets, the economy as well as various sectors which use crude as a raw material. 

The year 2017 looks bullish for oil prices as the oil surplus market is likely to turn into a deficit, suggest experts. A steady rise in oil prices could well hurt India's current account deficit. The oil imports account for almost 80 per cent of India's import bill. 

Resource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

2,000+ Buyers Visit First HKTDC Lifestyle Expo in New Delhi

Participants find success through business matching activities

HONG KONG, Dec 21, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - The inaugural HKTDC Lifestyle Expo in New Delhi welcomed more than 2,000 trade buyers during its two-day run on 19 and 20 December 2016, as 120 Hong Kong and mainland companies showcased a range of trendy, high-quality products, reaffirming Hong Kong's position as Asia's lifestyle trendsetter and "super-connector" in business.

Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) and the Trade Development Bureau (TDB) of the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China, the expo took place at The Lalit New Delhi.

Apart from bringing a slice of Hong Kong lifestyle to India, the event also helped develop stronger bilateral trade relations between India and the Chinese mainland.

The Opening Ceremony was officiated by LC Goyal, Chairman and Managing Director, India Trade Promotion Orgnisation, Stephen Liang, Assistant Executive Director, HKTDC, Jin Hong, Deputy Director-General, Trade Development Bureau, Ministry of Commerce, The People's Republic of China, and Li Bai Jun, Commercial Counsellor, Economic Counsellor's office of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of India.

Bridging India and China

"We have very big hopes for the future of trade links between India and China, with Hong Kong serving as a 'super-connector' between two of the world's most populous and fastest-growing large economies," said Mr Liang.

"India and China are two of the fastest-growing large economies on earth, with the IMF (International Monetary Fund) predicting GDP growth of 7.6 per cent and 6.2 per cent respectively in 2017. Together, they have a combined population of some 2.7 billion potential consumers," he added.

Individual buyers and buying missions came from New Delhi and other cities and regions including Mumbai, Chandigarh, Gujarat, Haryana, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Punjab.

At the Lifestyle Expo, the exhibitors paraded a variety of modern, high-calibre products including consumer electronics and ICT, gifts and premium, household products and electrical appliances, fashion and accessories and watches and clocks. The expo also featured trade-related services.

These attracted buyers from different sectors, including importers, distributors, mass retailers, mail-order houses, department stores and specialised stores.

Getting Connected

The HKTDC arranged more than 1,600 one-to-one business matching meetings and various networking events during the expo to further connect Hong Kong and Chinese mainland suppliers with buyers.

A brand new "Live Chat" service was offered at the Thematic Showcase Display zone, where staff connected buyers to off-site exhibitors via WhatsApp for real-time discussion of potential deals.

The expo also featured the popular hktdc.com Small Orders showcase spotlighting 150 products available for orders in quantities of between five and 1,000 units. This allowed buyers to place small orders to test the market while minimising their risks. It also leveraged the growing trend of e-tailing that is changing the face of international trade.

Business leads

Exhibitors reported positive results from their participation in the event. Andy Lee, Managing Director of Hong Kong houseware supplier Star Express Asia Ltd. said he was happy with the quality of the Indian buyers. The company received about 25 serious enquiries, including a potential customer he had established contact with through the HKTDC Showcase Display at the China Products (Mumbai India) Exhibition 2016.

Hong Kong LED lighting supplier Celex LED Technology Ltd Business Development Director Andrew Tsang said he was satisfied with the results, having been approached by "very good" Indian buyers including a lighting contractor and LED lighting distributors from Mumbai and New Delhi.

Hong Kong online marketing services promoter CG Marketing Co Ltd, was keen to find local partners, and the company received more than 30 enquiries from various sectors, including online marketing, travel, toys and electronics products.

Lifestyle trendsetter

The Lifestyle Expo is one of the HKTDC's signature international promotion events and has a successful track record in fostering trade between companies from Hong Kong and emerging markets worldwide including Russia, Poland, Turkey, Dubai, India and Indonesia. The Lifestyle Expo in Mumbai was successfully held in 2010.

Resource: http://en.acnnewswire.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Blind walk organised in Delhi to make us see the plight of the visually-impaired

Wrap the handkerchief around your eyes and practice tapping left, straight and right with the walking stick provided to you. This place has a number of barriers for the visually-impaired, so be very careful when you are climbing stairs,” said Baldev Gulati to the blindfolded people who gathered near Delhi’s Qutb Minar to participate in the blindfolded walk organised by Delhi Walk Festival. Gulati, who is an assistant professor at University of Delhi, led the walk. He is also visually-impaired.

The walk conducted to enhance the sensitivity among the people for visual impairment was held earlier this month. Getting to know about the endeavour, students from various architectural colleges have asked their respective faculties to organise such walks to help them design better buildings keeping in mind the needs of the visually-impaired. “I became fascinated with the proposition when organisers contacted me to conduct this walk.  The difficulties faced by visually challenged people on the roads and in any of the monuments are numerous. The pavements are not visually impaired friendly. People park their vehicles without a certain rule and much trouble is faced by visually challenged. The idea is to make participants feel impairment for an hour or so to understand the challenges faced by people who cannot see,” says Gulati.

The group of ten participants was divided into five pairs where one person had to go blindfolded. Though the other person was there to instruct the blindfolded one about the direction, it was Gulati who was the guide on that day.  Participants observed a very different Qutb Minar without vision. Being a participant I was hearing instructions from him. “Touch the pillars on your right, can you understand if you are walking in the shade or the sun, the sound you just heard was of a flock of pigeons which flew over your head”. The passers-by were curious at this strange sight. Many of them asked the blindfolded people about the event. The sound of the stick used to make them alert and they cleared the path for the blindfolded.

“Sometimes, a visitor takes my hand and quickly makes me cross the street even when I don’t intend to. This in turn proves a pain for me as till then I have lost the sense of direction. When I ask the parson if he can guide me about the route, he quietly slips away. By this walk we will be able to reach out to not just participants but also onlookers. Their attitude and perception will change towards the visually impaired,” shares Gulati who wants people to be a little more aware of the trouble faced by visually impaired.

Participation from a handful of people in the walk from different backgrounds didn’t disappoint Gulati. “Any change comes from a micro level. Even if the change is slow, I have the satisfaction that I have taken one step ahead in raising awareness about the lives of people who cannot see. I will continue to do so. The students, professors and corporate in the walk will share the experience within their peer. This will create a lot of understanding about the issues faced by those who are visually impaired. I am delighted that the dynamic group trusted their leader and had no inhibitions in taking instructions from a visually challenged person.”

Talking about his life after the walk got over, Gulati says that apart from teaching Social Work at University of Delhi, he also helps an organization to create employments for the disabled. “At present, I am trying to create livelihood opportunities for the hearing impaired. There are fewer jobs for those who are impaired of hearing or sight. I also run a business where I supply grocery items to caterers and canteens.”

Being involved in social responsibilities while managing a business along with a full time job, what keeps him going? “It is just the way I was brought up. I will give the credit to my mother who is a great source of inspiration. My three sisters also can’t see but now are holding prestigious jobs. Due to the impairment my father had deserted us. My mother then took up a job of a saleswoman before getting a full time job. My wife doesn’t have this problem but otherwise she is full of problems, “chuckles Gulati. “She is my favourite travel companion.”

Gulati has various ideas for spending his leisure time but travelling tops his list. “I love to travel. I usually go with my wife and daughter. I have an affinity for waterfalls. Running my fingers under the water or just sitting beneath one, if it is not too dangerous, is my all time preferred activity during a vacation. I enjoy this tactile feeling. Apart from this, on an occasion I like to have a couple of glasses of whiskey only with coke. You see I am a man of fine taste.”

Resource: http://www.sundayguardianlive.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Corporate social responsibility initiatives by Hero MotoCorp

In early January 2015, Hero Moto Corp began with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. The company launched ‘Ride safe India’, a movement to promote road safety. Till now, they have created road safety paths in Gurgaon, Delhi, Lucknow, Rourkela and  Hyderabad. “For instance, we’ve put simulators, showing people how to drive two wheelers and four wheelers safely,” says Vijay Sethi, Chief Information Officer & Head Corporate Social Responsibility, Hero MotoCorp. 

‘Hamari pari’, is a move to empower the women of tomorrow. That said, Sethi states that they take girls from the age of 5 to 16 to help and support them on their overall holistic development. ‘Happy earth’ initiative, aims at bringing a change in environment to make our world a joyful place to live in. “We’ve initiated 160000 plantations in the last 8 months and constructed 82 toilets,” he says.

Finally, ‘Educate to empower’ for individuals along with society and economy at large. Sethi says that they have supported 14000 kids for health and hygiene and supporting 15000 kids for career counselling in 8th, 9th and 10th class.

Resource: http://www.cio.in/

Resource: v

It’s Christmas, and The Oberoi in Gurgaon has some delectable treats in order

Craving some mouth-watering turkey this Christmas? Fret not, head over to the luxurious Oberoi in Gurgaon for the best feast of your life. 

A carving of Norbest Turkey with apple, sage and sausage stuffing, braised red cabbage and cranberry sauce is part of the Christmas Eve Gala and Christmas Day Brunch at threesixtyone. 

Celebrate in true Yuletide spirit with traditional treats, live entertainment and a dedicated ‘Lil’ Chefs arena. A traditional feast with an elaborate buffet accompanied with 10 Champagnes, exquisite wine and innovative cocktails is sure to make any day special. 

Want to take the Turkey home? You can also pre-order it from The Oberoi Patisserie with all accompaniments at Rs. 4000 per kilogram. 

*The Christmas Eve Gala is priced at Rs 3,250, and the Christmas Day Champagne Brunch is for Rs 4,700. You can also opt for the premium beverage package at Rs 3,450 

Resource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Best Western targets 50 properties in India by 2025

Best Western Hotels & Resorts is all set to increase its portfolio to 50 properties in the next 10 years. Back in March 2016, Best Western signed a master franchise agreement with Delhi-based Sorrel Hospitality. Sorrel, under the leadership of COO - Atul Jain, is responsible for Best Western’s future positioning, growth and development across India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Speaking about the growth in the India market, Jain said, “The Indian market is one that Best Western Hotels & Resorts has had interest in for quite some time. The hospitality company is aggressively pursuing the development of GLō and Vīb properties, capitalising on India’s thriving millennial market and will also officially introduce the Best Western Premier Collection brand to the market.  Sorrel has plans to grow the Best Western portfolio in India to 50 properties in the next 10 years.”

Ron Pohl, Senior VP Brand Development, Best Western Hotels & Resorts said, “Best Western Hotels & Resorts is always looking at investment opportunities and certainly expansion in India has become a high priority. While the deal with Sorrel Hospitality will certainly help the membership aggressively expand throughout India – the company is always interested in discussing other opportunities and forming partnerships with hospitality and management companies.”

Best Western is also looking to expand its pipeline in the Asia Pacific Region.  The company recently signed a management agreement for the opening of four Best Western Plus hotels across Thailand – three of which will be the largest properties in the company’s international portfolio, totalling 4,150 keys. The fourth new-build BW Plus hotel is the 1,050-room BW Plus AD Hua Hin Lake and Resort. In addition to its deal with AD Houses, BW simultaneously has also announced its first two Vīb hotels in Thailand. Best Western has also redesigned a new logo which will be rolled out in all their collaterals by this year.

Speaking about their new strategy Pohl added, “Best Western needed a fresh and relevant look.  Under the leadership of President and CEO David Kong, the company decided to adapt with the times and change the logo and create descriptors to help the consumer differentiate between the brands. Recently, we have launched Vīb and GLō brand and now we have seven brands underneath the Best Western corporate umbrella. Vīb’s vibrant lobby, stylish design and focus on convenience and technology integration will exceed the guests’ expectations. This concept has a minimal footprint, is cost effective to build, efficient to operate and creates a highly profitable business model.  GLō will be for more secondary markets and is breaking the suburban cookie-cutter hotel model offering a boutique product and experience.

Recently, Best Western has also announced its first “white-label” franchise concept– SureStay Hotel Group. SureStay will operate as a separate subsidiary while adding hotel owners into the company’s infrastructure and distribution channels. Under the SureStay, there will be three brands namely; SureStay Hotel (premium economy), SureStay Plus Hotel (lower midscale) and SureStay Signature Collection (midscale soft brand).

Speaking about the plans to bring the SureStay brand to India, Pohl said, “The potential in India is certainly limitless, as properties that want access to all of Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ benefits will have the opportunity to take advantage of this new franchise concept. SureStay hotels will have access to Best Western Hotels & Resorts’ preferred OTA commission rates, its scale and global distribution, desktop and mobile websites and 70 years of industry expertise.”

Resource: http://www.traveltrendstoday.in/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

VW trucks boss eyes expansion in Asia, singles out India

Volkswagen (VOWG_p.DE) is looking at ways to expand its truck operations in Asia, the head of its heavy trucks unit said, as it seeks to build a global business to challenge rivals Daimler (DAIGn.DE) and Volvo (VOLVb.ST).

Volkswagen (VW), pushing strategic changes a year after its diesel emissions scandal, said earlier this month it would take a stake in U.S. truckmaker Navistar (NAV.N) as part of a technology and purchasing alliance with the firm.

Though VW's trucks division is preoccupied with aligning its MAN and Scania brands more closely to boost cost savings, overseas expansion remains on the agenda despite the rising costs of the group's "dieselgate" emissions scandal.

"Our goal of course was first of all to cover the blank spot North America," VW trucks chief Andreas Renschler said, as the deal with Navistar will give VW access to the lucrative U.S. trucks market. "We are looking at the issue of India."

"You can assume that we will come up with certain ideas for Asia too," Renschler told reporters during the Hanover trucks show, without being more specific.

Renschler, a former head of Daimler (DAIGn.DE) Trucks, said the VW division was considering steps to further expand in China where subsidiary MAN (MANG.DE) owns a stake in local manufacturer Sinotruk Hong Kong (3808.HK).

Separately, Renschler said VW has no plans at present for a public listing of its trucks business, nor is there a timetable for such a move in coming years as speculated in the media.

MAN, market leader in Brazil for trucks weighing more than 5 metric tons, plans to improve product management in India and expand its sales network on the subcontinent where it has a subsidiary, MAN trucks chief Joachim Drees said.

"I believe we can generate further growth there," Drees told Reuters. "We see the potential to become better in India", where MAN currently sells about 2,000 trucks a year.

MAN has no plans for further job cuts in Brazil after slimming down operations in Latin America's largest economy as truck demand slumped amid the economic recession, according to Drees.

"We will keep employment levels for the time being," he said. MAN employs about 1,800 workers in Brazil to build trucks and buses.

(Reporting by Andreas Cremer, Jan Schwartz and Irene Preisinger. Editing by Christoph Steitz and Susan Fenton)

Resource: http://uk.reuters.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Reliance Brands formed Joint Venture with Swiss luxury brand Bally, to open stores in India

New Delhi: Reliance Brands Limited, a part of Reliance Industries Group, has announced the formation of a joint venture with the Swiss luxury brand Bally, the company said in a statement.

Reliance said under the terms of the agreement, the joint venture will have exclusive distribution and marketing rights for Bally in the country.

Following the joint venture Bally and Reliance have plans to open a store in New Delhi in 2017, and are looking at further expansion in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, they said.

The company further said, this new store will be part of Bally’s global expansion which has seen the opening of two new concept flagships in Tokyo's Ginza and Los Angeles’ Rodeo Drive this year. 2017 will see the doors open to two new flagship stores on New York’s Madison Avenue and Beijing’s China World Mall.

“We are very excited about this joint venture. In collaboration with Reliance, we have identified a roadmap to develop the brand in proven retail locations in four key cities - New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Joining forces with a partner of this calibre makes us very confident that we can be relevant and successful in the market. Indian consumers are very discerning and have an appreciation for quality and craftsmanship, the demands for which Bally is perfectly suited to meet,” Frederic de Narp, Bally CEO said.

“Bally triangulates rich heritage, Swiss quality and a contemporary design ethos. Fusing timelessness with a modern twist. All this layered with an envious brand recall! It’s with pride that we announce a partnership for India with the world’s second oldest luxury brand,” Darshan Mehta, president and CEO of Reliance Brands Limited said.

Bally retails in various categories including accessories, ready to wear and eyewear.

Resource: http://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

LeEco expects to close 2016 with turnover of ₹1,500 crore

NEW DELHI, DECEMBER 12:  

Chinese Internet and technology firm LeEco has successfully completed a year in India and is expected to close the year with a turnover of ₹1,500 crore by selling televisions, smartphones and accessories.

The company had announced plans to enter the Indian market in December last year and launched its first product — smartphone Le1 — in January this year.

“We have been in the India market for almost a year now and we are overjoyed to share that all our products have received such customer validation. The combined sales turnover from phones, TV and accessories, that we will close the calendar year with is ₹1500 crore,” Atul Jain, Chief Operating Officer (Smart Electronics Business), LeEco India, told BusinessLine.

Solid sales

He said the company breached the ₹200-crore mark with a total sale of 2 lakh Superphones, 1,800 SuperTVs and 500+ accessories across all four platforms, at its first-ever participation in the pre-Diwali sales by e-commerce platforms such as LeMall (it’s own portal), Flipkart, Amazon India and Snapdeal.

Asked about next year’s and plans, Jain said: “For the year 2017-18, we will continue to bring in technologically-advanced and true value devices. We are planning to launch the next-generation SuperTVs in the coming two months and next-generation Superphone in the first quarter of 2017.”

As part of LeEco’s online to offline strategy, the company will be launching its own branded stores across the country and these stores will showcase some of LeEco’s next-generation product innovations and its connect with the end-user community in India.

Expansion plans

“We’re looking at having around 500 such stores by the end of year 2017, covering major cities such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and smaller towns and cities,” he said.

On asked about the update from the Centre on local sourcing norms, Jain said that LeEco had written a letter to the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) in September, withdrawing the company’s request for exemption stating that it will source the required 30 per cent locally.

“Based on this letter, DIPP may have cleared our application and sent the file to FIPB for its approval. However, the fact that the application has been cleared by DIPP and other departments has not been communicated to LeEco officially,” he said.

He further said the company will continue to invest and introduce technologically advanced products in India. The company has also set up local R&D centre in Bengaluru for an India-centric consumer products line-up, Jain added.

Many analysts feel the company may get some funds from its headquarters as LeEco has recently secured a $600 million of funding from major Chinese institutional investors.

Meanwhile, according to analysts tracking the industry, LeEco as a new entrant is the only brand that had made it to top 10 (number seven in rank) in the smartphone segment in the first half of this year.

Good potential

The company is expected to garner a better share of the market in the ₹10,000-20,000 bracket, they said.

As per a CyberMedia Research recent report, the Indian handsets market is expected to clock imports of 265 million devices by the year end, of which 116 million would be smartphones.

The report said, out of the total handsets shipped to India in the third quarter (78.4 million), 66 per cent of the phones were made in India and a total of 137 brands shipped mobile phones, of which 69 shipped smartphones. And, 83 per cent of the 4G smartphones shipped supported VoLTE.

Resource: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Demonetisation: Cash-less buyers force brands to offer freebies

BENGALURU | NEW DELHI: Those who thought the big discounts and sales had ended with Diwali are in for a surprise: demonetisation has resulted in retailers offering out-of-season rebates and incentives to lure customers back. Fashion brands are going the ecommerce way after the invalidation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, offering promotions, cashbacks and discounts during the full-price season to reverse a trend of dwindling sales and fewer footfalls and save the October-December quarter from becoming a washout. 

"Post Diwali, we don’t run promotions. But when suddenly 40% of the customer base disappears, then what do we do?" asked Kavindra Mishra, managing director of Pepe Jeans. 

While stores take a leaf out of the typical ecommerce strategy of cashbacks, online retailers have substantially increased discounts for customers using cards. Myntra is offering an additional 25% discount on purchases above Rs 1,299 paid through debit and credit cards and Jabong has the same benefit for online payments of Rs 999 and more. 

"The discount is being offered to encourage people to use cards," a spokesperson for Bengaluru-based Myntra said in an emailed response. "The offer was started on November 9 and has seen a good response with prepaid transactions increasing by 30%." 

While Tommy Hilfiger and Benetton are offering promotions, Superdry and Marks & Spencer are trying to draw customers with discounts and cashbacks. Pepe Jeans has gone a step ahead by giving additional discounts on card transactions. Marks & Spencer has an additional 10% cashback on card payments and Pepe Jeans offers 5% off. 

Yogeshwar Sharma, executive director at Select CityWalk Mall in New Delhi, said cards are used for almost 98% of the purchases at the shopping centre, although he did not say if footfalls and sales have been affected in recent weeks. Retailers said the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes 10 days after Diwali came as a blow, especially when they typically sell products at full prices. Pepe said it started on-the-spot cash incentives for in-store staff for higher conversions and this seems to have arrested the decline in sales to 26% from 50% a week earlier. Superdry said its promotions helped it to stem the sales drop to about 20% from 40-50% earlier. 

"This situation is going to be there till the end of this month. However, we are re-analysing the consumption pattern every week," said Manu Sharma, business head of Superdry at Reliance Brands. 

Not all brands are resorting to discounts — some are offering customers other services and incentives. Sports brand Puma is accepting cheques from loyal customers. However, such measures appear to have a limited impact. Overall, business hasn’t improved as fewer customers are spending money after the high-denomination notes were scrapped. 

"These steps (discounting and cashback) are to overcome the customer’s negative sentiment. But it hasn’t helped. Between last week’s footfalls and sales numbers and now, there isn’t much change," said Suresh Singaravelu, executive director of retail at Prestige Estates Projects, which owns South India Forum malls and Bengaluru’s luxury mall UB City. 

Last week, he told ET that footfalls at the Prestige malls had dropped 20% on the weekend while sales at the food courts fell 40%, fashion categories sales declined 25% and hypermarket sales were 30% lower. 

"Business is still down by 50-70%. It has not picked up," said Suhail Yusuff, secretary of the Brigade Road Shops and Establishments’ Association in Bengaluru, which is home to national and international brands such as Arrow, Nike, Puma, Adidas and Vero Moda. The sudden, major dent in consumer sentiment has resulted in inventory piling up with retailers and they are now trying to liquidate the stockpiles by advancing the December end-season sale. 

"The end-of-season sale period starts from the last week of December, but this year almost all brands are planning to bring it forward to the first or second week of December," said a top executive of a foreign footwear brand. 

"Nobody wants to spend cash and the inventories are piling up. Hence, we are also planning to advance our sales by a week," he added.

Resource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

The Indus Club, the luxury private members' business club, now at One BKC in Mumbai

Most great friendships start with a handshake. And at The Indus Club, every handshake matters since it brings together a community of achievers from the worlds of business, media and creative industries. The hyper-luxury private members’ business club is all set to open its doors at One BKC. An invitation-only club, membership is open for promoters and CXOs of well-known companies, creative leaders from advertising, TV and motion pictures and other eminent and acclaimed professionals. 

According to reliable sources, the MDs/CEOs of Disney, Standard Chartered Bank and Sony as well as the promoters of All Cargo, Avendus and CMS are already members. 

When contacted , Anupama Soni, head of membership, said, “Our members’ privacy is of utmost importance and we cannot divulge names. But we can confirm that an incredible set of achievers have become members and we expect to have a waiting list by the time we open in a few weeks.” Spread over a massive 20,000 sqft, The Indus Club offers an all-day world café, a fine dining restaurant, private dining rooms, meeting rooms with video conferencing, a spacious auditorium, fitness centre, spa, indoor golf, among other things. It also boasts of best-in-class technology — Cisco video conferencing, Dali speakers, Lutron automation, Full Swing Golf simulator, etc. 

Touted to be the ultimate achievers’ club to conduct business by day and party by night, it will also host an array of events on the weekend, ranging from champagne movie premieres, to talks by world leaders and musical performances by renowned artistes. 

With plans to launch in other metros like Delhi/NCR and Bangalore, it has already signed reciprocal arrangements with several leading international clubs across the world, including Tower Club in Singapore and St James’s Club in London. 

The Indus Club will be the new playground for the city’s business elite and may well top the league tables for deals in 2017. 

Resource: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Meet the Delhi-based bootstrapped startup which is going to be mentored by Facebook experts in California

New Delhi-based is now a part of Facebook’s developer-focused program 'FbStart' which caters to the early-stage and mobile-focused startups. 

Partiko Android app allows users to discover events like Nightlife, Music, Food, Drink, Wine, Concerts, Experiences, Sports, Travel, and Startup in Delhi-NCR region. The startup will be expanding to other cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. 

The idea is the brainchild of an IITian from Roorkee Amanjot Malhotra, who worked with a couple of tech start-ups after graduating in 2013 and before kickstarting his entrepreneurial stint. 

His app as of now recommends an everyday personalised list of Delhi events for users at the location of their choice. Also, it helps them find trending events for the coming weekend, weekdays or any major holidays in advance. 

Amanjot was determined to build a product which allowed easy event discovery in metropolitan cities. Apart from ticketing, the platform also provides white-branded solutions to large scale event organisers such as website, mobile apps, experiential products etc. 

Another interesting feature is that Partiko allows users to personalise their feeds by tags and interests. Notably, the platform has also integrated other popular social platforms which allow the users to share their posts on other platforms which expand its reach.

Currently, the company is bootstrapped and it is in talks with investors to raise a seed round in the next 3 months. The upcoming funding will be used for app development, hiring, merchant acquisition as well as for marketing purposes. 

Under the FbStart program, this bootstrapped startup which launched its web platform ‘Partiko’ in August this year, will receive services and credits worth $40,000. 

The services will include mentorship from Menlo Park-headquartered Facebook’s engineering teams and services from its partners like Amazon Web Services, Annie, Dropbox, Adobe and MailChimp. 

Partiko has another credit to its name, and that is - It has also been a finalist for the payTM 1 Crore challenge this year and is currently working on a sponsorship marketplace EventsCrunch, which will be launched in the first quarter of 2017. 

It currently has over 15,000 users. The startup is now focusing on MUNs, startup, college and music events and also plans to expand to Mumbai and Bangalore. In the next 6 months, the platform plans to go social and aim to engage more users. Also, the focus will be on to take the revenue in eight digits. 

The team says - “First of all FbStart program helped us curb down on our server billings which have sky-rocketed without even marketing the platform, also it will be an added boost and receiving mentorship from the pioneer of social networking will be a huge opportunity as we too are focusing on the similar segment in the longer run.” 

They further added that their current focus is to enhance user-experience and grow the user base. 

The startup will face competition from Bookmyshow, explara and meraevents which are already big and established players in the market. However, the founders believe that their product will be able to offer much more in the coming months and also there is always room for improvement. 

In August, ET had reported that the Mark Zuckerberg-led company has distributed more than $21 million worth benefits to startups in India and more than $50 million worth benefits to startups in Asia through its FbStart program.

Resource: http://www.businessinsider.in/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

How LBB Grew From 10K Users A Month To 100K Users A Day By Enticing Millennials

“I started working with the BBC when I was 21. This was back in 2011 when discovery and recommendation websites were still in their nascent stages in India,” begins Suchita Salwan, founder of local discovery and recommendation platform Little Black Book or LBB, as it is ubiquitously known.

“I was salaried, like many millennials my age and I had no big liabilities and I wanted to explore the city I had lived in all my life, Delhi – see what it had to offer in terms of culture, entertainment, and dining. And guess what? We only had Just Dial and Zomato – and my options were severely limited when it came to Friday night out plans,” she adds.

Suchita is one among the 64% of millennials dotting India’s urban landscape by 2021 who, unlike their predecessors, study hard, work hard and want to party harder. They have a good spending capacity on account of being part of a well paid working class or having turned entrepreneurs and making sizable incomes.

This crowd wants to look beyond information – provided by JustDial for numbers of local businesses and go-to places, Zomato for restaurant reservations and BookMyShow for entertainment regarding the latest films, plays and other events taking place in Delhi – and zero in on specific events and exciting, undiscovered places that are the pride of every urban area and which are as yet, not on anyone’s radar. In other words, places that are cool and awesome enough to spend an evening with friends.

From A Tumblr Blog To A Recommendation Platform For 15 Lakh Unique Users

“I started blogging about the city. An exploration, really,” Suchita says. “There were so many discoveries to be made about places to eat, cafes, restaurants, and little outlets for shopping that I normally wouldn’t find on an information portal – from Hauz Khas to Sarojini Nagar to Janpath – it was a combination of places and things that I found awesome,” she adds.

LBB began life as a Tumblr blog (now defunct) in 2011 and Suchita describes it as a sort of ‘Pinterest of Local Discovery.’ The way she puts it – the blog had 10,000 users in Delhi itself by 2013. They were users interacting on social media such as Facebook and Twitter, sharing their love for all things Delhi. In addition, they were making their own recommendations, turning it into a community of enthusiasts and influencers intent on finding all the ‘cool’ things their city had to offer.

“I think what caught the user’s attention was that they were bored by everything – the same shows, the same restaurants, the same shopping places in Khan Market. Through LBB, they were able to discover so many hidden gems in the FMCG sector. Additionally, small businesses have blossomed in the city and have found a platform on LBB,” she says.

And it was this idea that led to her quitting her day job in 2013 and pursuing her passion and business full time.

The Search For A Co-Founder

“We spent the first two years just figuring out PMF,” shares Suchita. “Who our users are, where are they situated, what kind of money are they spending on what activities – be it shopping, entertainment, and eating. Our target audience emerged as primarily millennials, much like myself,” she adds.

According to Suchita, the team was bootstrapped for the initial months with four core members and five interns. “Two of the team were on content, one was on sales and one on events. We also had five interns who were rotated in various positions as and when required and did a little bit of everything,” she reminisces.

She also shares that the growth that occurred during this period was 100% organic. “Our scale kind of skyrocketed as we went from 10K users to 100K users. People were actually gravitating towards the site on their own steam and making recommendation using the hashtag #ifoundawesome.”

This fit perfectly with the idea that Suchita had when she’d begun the blog. It was a space that encouraged people to share experiences, tap into the very psyche of the city they lived in and come up with unique and out-of-the-box ideas for social gatherings.

“It was time to take LBB to the next level and branch out into app-building. But I was clueless about technology, had no idea on how to go about achieving this scale of product,” Suchita confesses with a laugh.

It was around this time that the LBB team had crossed paths with Dhruv Mathur – a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and co-founder of FBPay. “We had worked with Dhruv and his team before and I realised that Dhruv would be a natural fit for LBB. So he came on board with two of his team members and we had ourselves a co-founder and CTO,” she shares.

“Ten Best Things To Do In Your City” And So Much More

LBB’s components can be classified into two broad-based categories.

Local – Geographically restricted to a particular area or locality within a city catering across interests related to food, shopping, culture and entertainment.

Recommendation – which basically taps into the network of users and influencers on the platform who share ideas/listicles in the form of things they find ‘cool.’

The platform is made up of image-and text-based articles and video-based stories. Alongside, listicles are a key part of the content that LBB puts out.

And it was this idea that led to her quitting her day job in 2013 and pursuing her passion and business full time.

The Search For A Co-Founder

“We spent the first two years just figuring out PMF,” shares Suchita. “Who our users are, where are they situated, what kind of money are they spending on what activities – be it shopping, entertainment, and eating. Our target audience emerged as primarily millennials, much like myself,” she adds.

According to Suchita, the team was bootstrapped for the initial months with four core members and five interns. “Two of the team were on content, one was on sales and one on events. We also had five interns who were rotated in various positions as and when required and did a little bit of everything,” she reminisces.

She also shares that the growth that occurred during this period was 100% organic. “Our scale kind of skyrocketed as we went from 10K users to 100K users. People were actually gravitating towards the site on their own steam and making recommendation using the hashtag #ifoundawesome.”

This fit perfectly with the idea that Suchita had when she’d begun the blog. It was a space that encouraged people to share experiences, tap into the very psyche of the city they lived in and come up with unique and out-of-the-box ideas for social gatherings.

“It was time to take LBB to the next level and branch out into app-building. But I was clueless about technology, had no idea on how to go about achieving this scale of product,” Suchita confesses with a laugh.

It was around this time that the LBB team had crossed paths with Dhruv Mathur – a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University and co-founder of FBPay. “We had worked with Dhruv and his team before and I realised that Dhruv would be a natural fit for LBB. So he came on board with two of his team members and we had ourselves a co-founder and CTO,” she shares.

“Ten Best Things To Do In Your City” And So Much More

LBB’s components can be classified into two broad-based categories.

Local – Geographically restricted to a particular area or locality within a city catering across interests related to food, shopping, culture and entertainment.

Recommendation – which basically taps into the network of users and influencers on the platform who share ideas/listicles in the form of things they find ‘cool.’

The platform is made up of image-and text-based articles and video-based stories. Alongside, listicles are a key part of the content that LBB puts out.

“All our content is curated in-house,” shares Suchita. The content team is made up of 10-12 members who work with a network of 1,000 members across the three cities that LBB is present in and the most popular content makes its way into the ‘I Found Awesome’ category which is also a trending hashtag.

“We aren’t a me-too startup, we didn’t operate in ecommerce or offer any tangible product so users took time to come around. In fact, for the first two years no one got it, even though we were showing a good amount of traction,” she adds.

Finding the right team too was a challenge that the LBB team faced and which was solved when Dhruv Mathur and his tech team came onboard. But then, with a combination of grit and fortitude, everything fell into place and the team discovered a model that was able to quickly scale.

So, the scale happened on two fronts.

Tapping into the vein of a mobile-first India, empowered by almost 250 Mn smartphone users LBB launched its app across all major platforms in March 2016, after spending months in development. The app is easy-to-use, intuitive and adaptable to the major regions the user is from.

The app was first launched for Delhi, where LBB’s biggest draw is, but has also been introduced in the cities of Mumbai and Bengaluru where it was launched as recently as August and September 2015, respectively.

“We waited two years. Worked hard and made the model work seamlessly across cities, and effort was reflected in the ease with which we launched into two major cities within weeks of each other,” shares Suchita.

The wait seems to have paid off as, claims Suchita. The website and app now have a combined 100K daily users now, as opposed to 100K users per month. She also says that at any given time there are about 12,000 things to do in Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Delhi on the platform.

Resource: https://inc42.com

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/

Jabong adds active lifestyle brand 'Seven' to its product portfolio

Fashion and sports enthusiasts got a spectacular treat today as India's leading online fashion portal Jabong recently launched active lifestyle brand 'Seven' by ODI skipper M.S. Dhoni.

Dhoni was in Delhi to meet the winners of Jabong's contest to promote the addition of the freshest active lifestyle brand 'Seven'.

Seven, which is also the jersey number that Dhoni sports on the cricket field, offers running, training and active lifestyle footwear and apparel for both men and women. It is now available on Jabong from a price range starting Rs. 500 up to Rs. 4999.

Dhoni felicitated the seven winners of the online contest along with Arun Pandey, Chairman and MD of Rhiti Group (parent company of Seven) and Rahul Taneja, Chief Business Officer of Jabong.

Speaking at the event, Dhoni said, "Seven has been my lucky number. I was born on the seventh day of the seventh month. I became the captain of India's ODI team in the seventh year of the twenty first century. I am happy to be sharing my lucky charm with you with my brand Seven by M.S. Dhoni. Fitness has always been one of my top priorities and is ingrained in the brand ethos of Seven. The SEVEN ambition is all about making fitness an intrinsic part of every city, every town, every school, every home. In my opinion, you don't have to be a professional athlete to take your fitness seriously. All you need is the motivation to lead an Active Lifestyle."

Rahul Taneja, Chief Business Officer, Jabong, said, "Sportswear is one of the top selling categories on Jabong for many years now and we are excited to offer Seven by MS Dhoni to our discerning shoppers. India has never had a more successful captain and Mahi's grit and dedication is evidently the hallmark of the brand Seven, which fills in an essential value gap in the active and health-conscious lifestyle category. We are also excited about Rhiti Group's plans to continue to launch even more innovative designs and technology-driven products in future and will keep expanding our assortment with the latest in sports fashion."

Arun Pandey, Chairman and MD, Rhiti Group added, "We are delighted to associate with Jabong as India's leading destination for lifestyle and sport brands. Jabong's top-notch product curation and audience fits perfectly with Seven's positioning and the initial promotional launch pilots have yielded a tremendous response. We are very excited with this partnership and look forward to a long innings with Jabong."

Jabong is known for having introduced a multitude of sports brands in India in the past. As one of India's top online sportswear destinations, Jabong also regularly engages with its youth-centric audience through its exclusive partnerships with top sporting events such as the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, Standard Chartered Mumbai Marathon, NBA Jam, 5x5 Turf War among others.

Resource: http://www.business-standard.com/

Resource: http://grandiose.org.in/