Odisha’s Bhadrak district to get textile park

In an exercise to boost the textile sector, the Odisha government plans to set up an integrated textile park in Bhadrak district with an investment of Rs 70 crore, the Business Standard has reported.

“The proposed park will be developed over 112 acres of land in Bhadrak district. We have sent a detailed project report to the textile ministry to grant funds under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP)”, the newspaper quoted an official of Idco (Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation), the land acquisition arm of the state government, as saying.

Idco which will develop the sector specific park, has sought Rs 21 crore from the Centre as grant under the scheme for major infrastructure development. The park is expected to house about 22 apparel manufacturing units.

The project cost will be funded through a mix of equity or grant from the ministry. According to SITP guidelines, the Central Government’s support will be limited to 40 per cent of the project cost with a maximum ceiling of Rs 40 crore for parks.

The scheme targets industrial clusters with high growth potential, which require strategic interventions by way of providing world-class infrastructure support. The project cost will cover common infrastructure and buildings for production and support activities depending on the needs of the integrated textile park.

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Source: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/announcement/odisha-s-bhadrak-district-to-get-textile-park-178089-newsdetails.htm

Puma, Adidas seek govt nod for e-commerce portals

German athletic footwear and apparel makers Puma and Adidas have sought the government’s permission to operate their own e-commerce portals.

They are the first among foreign companies to take advantage of a change in law that allows single-brand overseas retailers to sell online as well in India, The Economic Times has reported.

The two firms have also sought clarification and approval from the government on whether their existing wholesale entities can engage in direct retailing and e-commerce.

“Based on the new regulation on single-brand retail, we have sought approval for Puma Sports India to do retail and e-commerce. The same entity was originally allowed to do wholesale of Puma products,” said Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director of Puma India.

Puma had filed an application on march 3 with the Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion (DIPP), the nodal agency for foreign direct investment in India. Adidas has sought a similar approval from the DIPP in an application on the same date.

In November 2015, the government had relaxed the rules for FDI in retail, permitting manufacturers to sell their products through wholesale, retail and e-commerce channel as well for the first time.

Even as India allowed single-brand retailers to set up their own stores, such companies also maintained wholesale subsidiaries to supply to their chain of franchisees.

That made things cumbersome as such companies had to set up separate entities for retail and wholesale, with different warehousing, inventory and accounting.

“The government’s new FDI policy on single brand makes things easier and simpler for a foreign entity to invest in retail.

It will bring efficiency in supply chain, inventory, sourcing and generating employment in retail,” Ganguly of Puma said. “It’s a very progressive approach from the government. Once our approval comes through, it will make business much smoother for us.”

Adidas had in November 2015 announced its intent to open its first fully-owned outlet in India in the second half of the fiscal, after it got clearance to invest in local retail operations.

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Source: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/apparel-news/puma-adidas-seek-govt-nod-for-e-commerce-portals-178113-newsdetails.htm

 

Snapdeal, FLO sign deal for women entrepreneurs

Indian e-commerce major Snapdeal and FICCI Ladies Organization (FLO) have signed an agreement to kick-start the “Women Entrepreneurship (WE) in e-commerce” initiative, according to a statement by FLO.

“India is the fastest growing e-commerce market in the region and we need to further encourage women to foray into this area. This initiative will facilitate the process of women empowerment by providing them a digital platform to promote their businesses,” said FICCI secretary general, A Didar Singh.

The MoU will enable Snapdeal and FLO to work together to educate, enable and empower women entrepreneurs to leverage digital commerce to grow their businesses, the statement said.

“Through this initiative, Snapdeal and FICCI FLO will enable digital inclusion for 4,000 women entrepreneurs and artisans, affiliated to FICCI FLO chapters across 15 locations in India,” it said.

The FICCI FLO store will house a rich assortment across diverse product categories and will be available on Snapdeal’s mobile, web and app as well as Snapdeal’s consumer-to-consumer platform – Shopo, the statement added.

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Source: http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/apparel-announcement-news/snapdeal-flo-sign-deal-for-women-entrepreneurs-178121-newsdetails.htm#sthash.7s7000FU

‘India needs to double its denim capacity by 2020’

India, one of the largest producers of denim, would need to double its denim capacity by 2020 said a speaker at the recently held two-day global summit on denims and jeans.

Denim industry in India has a healthy compound annual growth rate of 15 to 18 percent, said Deepak Chiripal, CEO, Nandan Denim, at the conference organised by Diagonal Consulting India (DCI) along with Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) at IIM Ahmedabad.

“Currently, feasible production capacity (in India) is 1 billion metres per annum considering 85 to 90 percent utilisation. Looking at the domestic demand, India will need to double its denim capacity in next 4 to 5 years,” added Chiripal.

The conference saw major denim fabric and apparel players as well as experts from within India and abroad deliberating over the future of denim industry, particularly in India. It focused on how Indian apparel scene can be improved so that Indian denim industry bags orders not just for domestic market but also that it becomes a global hub for branded denim apparel. The Indian denim industry is looking to increase its share of exports from its current 35 percent to 45 percent.

“Historically, denim has been one of the fastest growing apparel fabric segments, having grown by 500 million metres from 700 million metres in 2010 to 1.2 billion in 2015. Yet, there is a gap of another 300 million metres in India if the denim industry needs to tap its full export potential,” said PR Roy, chairman of DCI.

Gujarat is set to strengthen its position further as the denim hub of India with around 150 million meters per annum (mmpa) new manufacturing capacity added by 2020. This will be in addition to the existing capacity of 500 mmpa. “Around 4 to 5 new units are coming up in and around Ahmedabad which will add 50 mmpa of capacity. Surat too has six units of denim manufacturing with capacity of 100 mmpa. These firms plan to add another 20-30 mmpa in next few years,” informed Roy.

Source:http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/denim-jeans-news/-india-needs-to-double-its-denim-capacity-by-2020–177905-newsdetails.htm

Gaurav Nabh is the new marketing director at Koovs India

Koovs India has appointed Gaurav Nabh as marketing director for its operations in India. He will be based in India and operate out of Koovs headquarters in Gurgaon. He will be leading the marketing division which consists of brand communication and content, digital marketing and consumer engagement programmes.

Mary Turner, CEO, Koovs Group congratulated Nabh and expressed her delight in having him on board. She said that he brought invaluable experience in digital and mobile marketing as well as a deep understanding of the Indian consumer. Since digital marketing is growing in India, Turner believes that his expertise in the field will help the brand to leap forward. Koovs Plc is the London-listed parent of Koovs India.

Nabh is happy to be part of the journey at a time when e-commerce is reshaping the Indian consumer’s shopping habit. He said that ‘through a host of innovative marketing campaigns, the aim is to build Koovs as the preferred fashion destination’ for the style conscious youth of the country.

Nabh was earlier CEO Quasar, WPP’s specialist digital agency in India. He brings with him more than 14 years of rich experience in marketing through the digital and mobile medium as a brand marketer and agency partner. He was also part of the core team that launched Virgin mobile and Telenor in India. Before that he has worked with Proctor & Gamble, Nestle, Colgate and Domino’s Pizza.

Source: https://fashionunited.in/news/people/gaurav-nabh-is-the-new-marketing-director-at-koovs-india/2016030313216