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FMCG companies witness a rise in rural demand

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Several makers of consumer products claimed that in recent weeks, there had been signs of a recovery in rural consumption, with volume sales of daily necessities and groceries increasing, pushing up sales for them. In the past four to five weeks, sales of value packs of biscuits have increased by 10% at Parle Products, India’s largest biscuit company, while small packs of premium packs have experienced a 51% increase in sales. The last three to four quarters showed these two segments expanding by 3% and 1-2%, respectively. 

Adani Wilmar, a company that deals in packaged commodities and edible oil, has registered a 10–12% increase in sequential growth in July compared to June.

The recovery will pick up speed now, according to Emami and RSPL Group executives, which owns the Ghari brand of detergent and Venus soap.

“Rural slowdown was a temporary phenomenon and you cannot expect consumers to hold purchase of daily essentials in abeyance for long periods of time,” said Sushil Kumar Bajpai, president at RSPL Group. “We also saw increased penetration in villages which helped recovery.”

India’s villages, which make up 35% of the country’s FMCG sector sales, witnessed growth slow down starting in September as consumers were compelled to buy products at lower prices or stop purchases completely due to rising prices for food, fuel, and other essentials as well as declining wages.

According to Parle Products senior category head, Mayank Shah, value packs and small packs of the premium range are the first to recover following a delay. “Both these have started in rural India and the pace of recovery is improving every subsequent week,” he said.

According to sales tracker Bizom, urban FMCG sales growth decreased by 6.9% in the first two weeks of July, while the reduction in rural sales was quite negligible at 1.7%.

“We are seeing rural sales closer to growth as compared to urban and this could mean that consumption is starting to see a possible revival. Also, there is a definitive shift in the consumption of commodities with sales increasing in double digits,” said Akshay D’Souza, chief of growth and insights at Mobisy Technologies, which owns Bizom.

Industry executives attribute the recovery to a good monsoon, the positive effects of recent agri-inflation, which has placed more money in farmers’ pockets, and the relative lower base of the prior year following bumper sales in 2020 Covid-led reverse migration.

AgriTech Startup Veg Route raises $1.1mn in Seed Round led by VGROW Ventures

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Agri Tech Startup Veg Route has raised Seed funding of $1.1 Million led by VGROW Ventures from the US along with Ravi Shankar Kathirvelu, Chief Business Officer, Venture Partner, and Investor also with Founders of Chennai-based Fintech Startup Ippopay – Mohan K and Jai Kumar, Hari TN Co-Founder Artha School of Entrepreneurship and Abhishek Raj Pandey Head of Commercial Operations, Mama Earth with other angel investors of India UAE and US.

According to Veg Route, fresh funds will be used to improve Tech and data-driven solutions for strengthening and revolutionizing the fresh produce supply chain that connects farmers and consumers, along with plans to establish cold-stored warehouses and invest in e-vehicles for last-mile delivery operations. Farmers will also receive support by setting up collection centers in smaller towns and villages in South India.

Other investors in the round include Hari T N, Co-Founder, Artha School of Entrepreneurship, Author and Angel Investor, Abhishek Raj Pandey, Head of Commercial Operations, Mama Earth, Sundararaman Ramasamy, Co-Founder and CEO of Wilco Source, Dinesh Kataria – Founder of Brown tree, India, Kumar Chandramoulie, Chief Product and Innovation Officer, Investor, Preetham Uthaiah, EVP Marketing, and Strategy, Prabu A Sengodan, Chairman, SPK Groups, Angel Investor & Advisor, Omar Bin Brek, Founder, Foolosi, UAE.

Veg Route has also raised $180 K in the Pre-Seed Round earlier in Jan 2022.

Founded in Nov 2020, Veg Route is now South India’s Favorite Online Delivery Platform that offers freshly handpicked Fresh Produce from farms right to your doorsteps in 5+ cities across tier-2 and tier-3 towns of India headquartered in Chennai.

CEO of Veg Route Shyam Prashad Rajasekaran said, “Helping Farmers to sell their fresh produce at the right pricing and helping people from all walks of life to become our consumers by ensuring Best Quality – Right Pricing – Timely Delivery will make us expand and connect with 50000+ farmers to about 2.5 lakh consumers/day in 100+cities by 2025.”

Hari T N says, “The market is big and current solutions are all suboptimal. There is a huge opportunity to significantly enhance customer experience with a razor-sharp focus on this one category, namely F&V. I liked the Founder’s Personality: Grounded yet ambitious. Ethical yet extremely hungry to create an impact, along with the humility to learn.”

TaCa Healthcare to hire 400 people in 6 months

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TaCa Healthcare, a healthtech startup, will hire over 400 professionals in the next six months.

The startup plans to invest $12–15 million (about Rs 100–120 crore) over the next 12–18 months to upgrade the healthcare facilities in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities and upskilling surgeons.

Bidhan Chowdhury, CoFounder, TaCa Healthcare, says, “At TaCa Healthcare, our mission is to revolutionise secondary surgery care in the country by making it affordable and easily accessible to the masses near their homes. We are already present in over 30 cities across the country and are providing safe and affordable surgical care to thousands of patients. We will be hiring 400-500 people in the next six months as we accelerate our plans to strengthen our operations in the existing and expand them to many more cities and states in the coming months.”

The healthtech startup, which operates in seven Indian states (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana), provides short-stay elective surgeries and seeks to ensure that everyone has access to high-quality healthcare.

Fintech startups look beyond lending

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New-age consumers now have a different perspective on finance, thanks to fintech. With the primary objective of improving the customer experience, fintech startups created new goods and services or changed the ones that already existed. With consumer convenience and safety at the forefront, it is everyone’s objective to add value for the customers through unique offerings. 

The sector offers services in various fields, including neobanking, payment gateways, wallets, insurance, investment technology, and personal finance technology. To increase the number of people in India with access to organized finance, fintech companies have filled the gaps between consumer demand and available products.

To ensure a hassle-free experience, some fintech startups also offer comprehensive services to their clients. Consider the case of OneStack. The founders claim to have developed a “super app” that encourages users to save, lend, spend and grow their wealth. Users may view their assets, obligations, and balance sheets on the app’s centralized dashboard without switching between apps.

“We provide a new-age neobanking experience by integrating a myriad of financial products to redefine the customers’ banking journey,” said Amit Kapoor, co-founder, OneStack. “With the limited time and the vast expanse of personal and professional commitments, one is left with little or no time to understand or purchase different financial products from different service providers. The next-gen solutions cater to banking, payments, investments, insurance, and lending needs of our customers, all under the same roof.”

Through the widespread distribution of financial products using digital technology, fintech startups in India have also contributed to financial inclusion. On the other side, some startups are focused on serving the audiences of the gig economy, who frequently avoid traditional financial service providers because they do not have a consistent revenue stream. PoddL (formerly Glimpay) aggressively aims to support the creator economy and freelancing professionals, including students, part-time workers, and content creators. They can send and receive money easily thanks to the all-encompassing software.

“PoddL recognizes the burgeoning population of freelancers as more and more millennials and GenZ joins the creator and influencer bandwagon,” said Kushal Prakash, founder of PoddL. “We are on a mission to provide a marketplace for independent professionals that provides them access to a sophisticated wallet and full-cycle Workflow tools to manage their Work, finances and taxes on a common, unified platform. Our state-of-the-art technology helps freelancers become at par, financially, with their full-time working counterparts.”

Full-stack apps are fast becoming a preferred partner for today’s customers. “We are living in the era of Smart and Instant services and the trend is being extrapolated to financial services, as well. Gauging the consumer needs, we are providing convenience through features such as five minutes account opening, automated investments, and real-time track of savings and investments, among others. Our aim is to help our customers with detailed financial planning, end-to-end,” said Abhinav Nayar, CEO of Mool.

Fintech startups are helping introduce services that are priced competitively and hence, nominal. Additionally, they are striving for the redesign and transformation of the existing services, which is advantageous for the customers. These startups have the potential to boost the economy by using blockchain, AI, Big Data, machine learning, and other technologies.

HPMF organizes its global strategy meet to discuss the 1000-day plan

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The HPMF (Hospitality Purchasing Managers’ Forum) is a consortium of purchasing managers from the hospitality sector that includes representatives from star hotels, catering businesses, independent restaurant chains, retail chains, and airlines. 

The first of its kind in India, HPMF is a non-profit organization registered by the Charity Commissioner’s office to give buyers in the hospitality sector a platform. Some of the essential components of HPMF include training and development of procurement professionals, consolidated procurement, industry product standardization, volume discounts, improved professionalism in the purchasing process, development of potential vendors, green initiatives, and corporate social responsibilities.

A global organization with more than 6000 members of the hospitality purchasing fraternity, HPMF was founded in 2010. The organization has chapters in Mumbai, Pune, New Delhi, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, and Gujarat, in addition to its headquarters in Mumbai. Internationally, HPMF has chapters in Bangladesh, the UK, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. 

To maintain its position as one of the world’s top professional forums for the hospitality procurement community, HPMF is now taking the next step. Nitin Nagrale, the organization’s founder and general secretary, has announced the formation of the HPMF strategic team to execute the 1000-day plan.

To elevate the benchmark, HPMF is known for establishing a team of 150+ highly skilled, driven, and motivated hospitality purchasing specialists from 20 cities in India and neighboring nations that are ready to start. The idea is to organize these specialists into focused teams that will carry out a 100-point plan in a planned and time-bound manner. The agenda includes a wide range of activities, such as strategic alliances with various governing bodies, the development of educational programs specifically for the hospitality industry, the opening of several HPMF chapters covering India and other nations, and socially responsible initiatives to provide help and guidance to the underprivileged and fraternity members.

This initiative would establish the Indian hospitality procurement fraternity as a recognized force around the globe and provide chances for Indian vendors and enterprises to compete worldwide. HPMF has always been at the forefront of promoting India and Indian culture through its activities.

Larsen’s realty arm to expand its footprint in Mumbai, Thane

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L&T Realty, a real estate development arm backed by Larsen & Toubro (L&T), announced plans for market expansion in Mumbai. The company has signed three projects with a combined development potential of 4.4 million sq ft for ₹8,000 crores (approximately $1 billion) in prestigious areas, including South Mumbai, the Western Suburbs, and Thane. This project is a part of the company’s more important strategy to increase its footage in crucial metro areas by roughly 5 million sq ft annually over the following five years.

As per the regulatory filing, the South Mumbai project will be developed on a five-acre land parcel with a clear harbor view and good access to all parts of Mumbai. Twin towers of 50 stories each will house premium facilities and retail space in this residential complex.

The Western Suburb project, meanwhile, is situated in Andheri’s prime location. As its first project in the Western Suburb, L&T Realty will build a contemporary gated residential complex with 20 towers and a contemporary shopping complex. 

In addition, a 6-acre land parcel in Thane will be developed as part of the project. These enormous residential towers will dominate Thane’s skyline since they are surrounded by an excellent social infrastructure and offer a range of amenities.

Shrikant Joshi, MD & CEO, L&T Realty, said, “We are committed to expanding our reach and continue looking into new markets. With signature elements from L&T Realty, these projects will have iconic features that are designed keeping in mind global norms of excellence while also being a testament for their trust on us with faster execution capabilities.”

Zoho to hire 2,000 professionals, expand operations in India, abroad

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Software-as-a-service (SaaS) major Zoho Corp plans to expand globally and in India by hiring at least 2,000 people in engineering, technology, and product development.

“We have already started hiring locally and plan to start upskilling programmes such as Zoho Schools of Learning in these locations as we scale our operations,” said Prashant Ganti, head of products, tax, accounting & payroll, Zoho.

Zoho intends to hire more software developers, quality assessment engineers, web developers, designers, product marketers, writers, technical support engineers, and sales executives.

Ganti continued by saying that the business intended to grow organically and expand into other geographies.

“We have been following the transnational localism approach, where our global expansion is happening by hiring locally in the countries where we are setting up operations,” he said.

Zoho, which has a presence across India and the US, recently entered geographies such as Egypt, Jeddah, and Cape Town.

According to the company, it is also attempting to find talent in rural India. Currently, it has about 10,800 employees worldwide.

“Most of the talent in urban areas comes from villages and smaller towns. Companies need to take opportunities to where the talent is, and invest in upskilling,” Ganti said.

“We are also investing in enhancing our audio/video capabilities, which have become crucial for all business functions. In India, we are also investing in rural revival initiatives, and in creating a deep-tech ecosystem in the country,” he added.

The SaaS provider provides financial management through Zoho Books, HR solutions through Zoho People, and additional products, including Zoho Inventory, Zoho CRM, and Zoho Site. It also intends to enter the market for financial management suites, which Quickbooks by Intuit previously served.

“It throws up a huge market opportunity for Zoho. We want to help many businesses that are looking for a good alternative and help them transition smoothly,” Ganti said.

Ganti stated that Zoho would continue to invest in a vertically integrated tech stack when speaking of the company’s goals for the upcoming fiscal year 2023.

SanKash plans to service 1mn customers by 2025

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SanKash, a travel fintech startup, plans to service 1 million customers by 2025 as tourism recovers from the coronavirus pandemic’s two-year impact. SanKash enables online and offline travel companies to provide their customers with innovative payment options. 

The Gurgaon-based startup wants to double the current monthly activation rate, boost partner productivity by five times, and have a lending book worth ₹5,000 crores.

SanKash collaborates with both online and offline travel companies. It helps customers make travel decisions more quickly and spend more on their trips, which boosts sales. Additionally, it provides flexible, pay-over-time payment options that increase accessibility and affordability for travel.

“Post pandemic, there is a surge in all-inclusive travel wherein travellers want to spend for the travel, but instead of parting with the entire money in one go, prefer to make a staggered payment. This is where SanKash offers the “Fly Now, Pay Later” option to customers,” said Akash Dahiya, co-founder, SanKash.

Since March 2020, domestic and international travel has nearly stopped, making it one of the industries most severely affected by the pandemic. Travel is picking up again as things return to normal.

“As per Indian Tourism Statistics at a Glance 2021, 617.51 million Indians took international and domestic trips in the year 2020 with UAE and USA capturing a little over 42% of international Indian departures and Tamil Nadu with 23% of domestic tourist visits. However, with payment options restricted to debit cards, bank transfers and credit cards, nearly 35-40% middle class Indians are unable to realise their vacation dreams due to lack of enough money. Identifying this massive gap, SanKash brought forth the unique, concept-based alternative lending solution – ‘pay-in-parts’,” said Dahiya.

SanKash’s technology has been incorporated and applied by many small-town travel companies to increase sales conversions and power double-digit revenue growth.

“SanKash is the only player associated with Thomas Cook, SOTC, Veena World, Kesari, Balmer Lawrie, TBO and other medium/small players across 40 Indian cities,” said Dahiya.

The travel fintech and the BNPL aggregator observed a three times jump in volumes compared to the months before the 2020 implementation of COVID19, he added, as a result of trends in the travel industry such as revenge tourism and vengeance vacations.

Oberoi hotels and resorts awarded world’s best hotel brand by Travel + Leisure, USA World’s Best Awards, 2022

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The Tourism + Leisure USA’s World’s Best Awards have given The Oberoi hotels and resorts one of the most prestigious awards in the travel industry. The Oberoi, New Delhi, has received recognition as one of the Best City Hotels in the World in Asia. In contrast, The Oberoi, Marrakech, has received recognition as the Best Resort in North Africa and the Middle East. The Best Resort in India award has been given to The Oberoi Udaivilas in Udaipur. The 9.5 million readers of Travel + Leisure magazine’s Readers’ Poll gave The Oberoi hotels and resorts this accolade.

Arjun Oberoi, Executive Chairman of The Oberoi Group, said, “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award and honoured to have contributed in our own small way to the “Make in India” initiative. My heartfelt gratitude to our valued guests for their continued support and our exceptional colleagues for their dedication and commitment to excellence.”

Vikram Oberoi, CEO, and MD of The Oberoi Group, said, “the awards are an affirmation of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts unwavering commitment towards offering guests exceptional facilities and unparalleled levels of service. Our founder Rai Bahadur MS Oberoi and Mr PRS Oberoi our former Chairman and mentor have always maintained that people are our most important asset – time and again our colleagues live up to this enduring belief.”

The most influential travel brand in the world, Travel + Leisure, USA, provides insider access to locations worldwide with its distinctive blend of wise advice, immersive photography, expert reporting, and award-winning coverage of hotels, food, design, style, culture, and trends.

Amazon announces creating more than 4,000 UK jobs 

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Amazon announced on Friday that it would add more than 4,000 new jobs in Britain this year, according to plans that will place it among the country’s top 10 private sector employers. 

The US e-commerce behemoth announced that the most recent expansion would bring its permanent workforce to 75,000. The company was boosted by booming online shopping during Covid lockdowns. 

The new positions are dispersed around the United Kingdom, with two new fulfilment centres opening in the northern English cities of Knowsley and Wakefield.

Also, there will be positions in engineering, product management, and corporate and technology functions in software development. 

Amazon added that, with the most recent expansion, it will have added 40,000 new jobs to the UK business over three years.

“We’re continuing to invest in talent right across the UK, from apprentices in Swansea to data scientists in Edinburgh,” said Amazon UK country manager John Boumphrey.

The announcement precedes Amazon’s second-quarter earnings, which are expected later this month.