INTERVIEWS

Sanjay Dalmia, chairman, GHCL: "We are not interested in linear growth
An evolving lifestyle, more intense brand-consciousness, and an urge to adopt from the West while sticking to an indigenous culture, are a few elements that capture the essence of the Indian consumer.

Reliance Autozone: Building a brand-neutral workshop
BMWs and 800s, Tatas and Toyotas, Hyundais and Hondas, bikes and scooters. Vehicles of all make and size, from almost all countries, run parallel on the same roads in India. Yet, the company's branded clinic or a roadside hakeem is the only option for them to fall back upon when they fall sick...

Getting hearty in the business of breakfast
From running a large packaging company to producing breakfast foods, has been a big shift for Sanjeev Khemka. The mechanical engineer-turned-manufacturer of breakfast cereals and snacks spoke...

Vishal means 'big', literally
Timely decisions, defined strategy, and a futuristic approach, clubbed with an understanding of consumers' needs as also the ability to create one, are the qualities that mark out the best retail companies...

Caring personally with products from nature
With a borrowed sum of Rs 5,000, Rajkumar Nanda nurtured a natural product to make it a brand, which in the present has earned him a whopping turnover of Rs 30 crore - and is pacing to touch the 100 crore-mark soon.

There's no discounting this
There's no discounting this Started in the year 2004 as a 'value retail' format, The Loot today has successfully set up 25 outlets across India, including in tier II cities.

Provoking the cult of coffee consumption
Barista heralded the concept of ‘out-of-home premium coffee consumption' in outlets with an ‘attitude'. However, a lot of retail coffee has flown down the throat of Indian coffee lovers, since Barista made its foray in 2000.

A Pan American tale
It takes a lot to take a zonal brand and grow it into a Rs 50-crore company. Vishnu Rageev R quizzes its Columbus – Rajkumar Lalwani, director, Royalex Fashions India Pvt. Ltd – to discover the less-covered voyage of a brand called Pan America...

A spice route into a next-door neighbour
The much-talked-about, relaxed FDI norms in India have not only attracted high-end western brands, but are also pulling in established labels from neighbouring countries. Probably the first Pakistani entrant in the foods segment...

Why Kamal Nath cannot afford not to allow FDI in sporting goods retail in India!
The issue of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been debated time and again as the Indian Government has been under pressure to open up further.