Major
Asia consumers going "green" and purchasing more sophisticated home appliances
The increasing spending power of consumers in Asia has been a boon to many industries thanks to the economic recovery, including the major household appliances sector which has managed to bounce back from its weakened performance of last year.
India's Timbor Home opens 3 stores in Rajasthan
Timbor Home, manufacturing-retailing major of modular kitchens in India, has opened three more stores in Rajasthan.
Now the total number of stores in Rajasthan stands at 10 with the company opening a store each in Udaipur, Bhilwara and Sri Ganganagar.
Thailand's Mall Group to introduce Mglobe shopping site
The Mall Group is teaming up with major partners to expand its online shopping business in the second quarter.
Vice-chairman Supaluck Umpujh said the Thai company is spending THB100 million (USD3.22 billion) on IT upgrades to accommodate the launch of online shopping through www.mglobemall.com.
The group will team with seven partners: Bangkok Bank, Citibank, Thanachart Bank, Thai Life Insurance, Major Cineplex, PTT and TV Pool magazine.
Nokia ties up with Indiatimes Shopping, launches online shop in India
Handset major Nokia has tied up with Indiatimes Shopping to launch its first online store in India.
The online store called NokiaShop (nokia.indiatimes.com) will be the first portal in the country to deliver phones directly from the manufacturer to the users.
Apple finds environmental violations in China suppliers
Apple released on Friday an audit of its major suppliers, saying it found a number of violations including breaches in pay, benefits and environmental practices in plants in China.
The Cupertino, California-based company, notorious for keeping its supply chain a secret, also for the first time released a list of its major suppliers.
The company said it conducted 229 audits last year, representing an 80 percent increase over 2010.
China's Da Vinci plot twists give clues to corrupt code of warped media-business influence
The furore around embattled luxury furniture retailer Da Vinci has taken yet another intriguing turn, this time revealing the twisted relationship between major media groups and big business.
Biggest opportunities in India's luxury market in 2012
Despite the FDI controversy, luxury fashion and accessories retail still presents exceptional opportunities in India especially for the major luxury retailers. Brands already present in India have probably, once again, ''learnt their lesson'', becoming even more convinced, for most of them, operating directly in India would be a mission impossible. Several major international luxury brands, not yet present in India, have by now postponed by at least two years their entry, preferring to rather enter in discussions for a franchising/exclusive wholesale distribution.
Global beer consumption continues to climb
Global consumption of beer is continuing to rise, with demand in emerging markets driving the amount that was guzzled down around the world in 2010 to a new record.
The research arm of major Japanese brewer Kirin Holdings Co. estimated last month that 182.69 million kilolitres of beer were consumed during the year, the most recent for which it was able to provide statistics.
India PM defies calls to roll back retail reform
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh rejected calls to reverse major retail market reforms, saying the entry of foreign supermarket giants would help modernise the USD450 billion sector and fight stubbornly high inflation.
The reforms have drawn howls of protest from opposition parties and from allies within Singh's Congress Party-led coalition. Parliament has been adjourned for six days, threatening other major bills, such as one on food subsidies for the poor.
PepsiCo looks to tap smaller Indian cities for breakfast cereals
Global snacks and soft drinks major PepsiCo is looking to expand the market for its breakfast cereals by entering smaller cities in India with its Quaker Oats brand.
The firm is betting big on the oats segment, which currently has a total market size of around INR200 crore (INR2 billion, USD38.52 million) in India, as it looks to tap consumers at the lower socio-economic segment.
