Archive: November 28, 2022

Cruelty-free lifestyle brand Zouk organizes one-of-a-kind Vegan Creators Day & Awards in partnership with PeTA India

Nutritionist & Integrative health coach Ms. Neha Ranglani awarded by the Actor Ruchira Jadhav at Zouk’s Vegan Creators Day & Awards

28th November 2022: On the 26th of November, Mumbai witnessed a one-of-a-kind event. Cruelty-free lifestyle brand Zouk held its first ever Vegan Creators Day & Awards. The event honored the valuable contribution of vegan creators in influencing Indian consumers in making cruelty-free choices.

Organized in collaboration with PeTA India, India’s top vegan creators came together to share their vegan origin story, how they think about content creation for veganism, and the influence they have had on consumers. Many of them have thousands of followers on popular social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube. These creators share their daily stories of how they adopt a vegan cruelty-free lifestyle, be it in bags and footwear or in food or cosmetics. That is a big draw for Indian consumers who are now very conscious of the impact on animals post the pandemic.

Zouk itself, with over 200,000 followers on Instagram is an active voice in this space. They are credited with making Vegan, Cruelty-free lifestyle products like Bags, Wallets & Footwear very popular in a space dominated by animal-based materials. They now have over 2.5 lakh happy customers pan-India. Last year, Zouk even won the Best Vegan Wallets brand award from PeTA India Fashion Awards 2021.

The well-known nutritionist & Integrative Health Coach Ms. Neha Ranglani, and the celebrated Yoga Instructor, Ms. Ishwari are some top winners from the list chosen by the expert jury panel. The jurors had a tough time choosing the final awardees from thousands of creators.

The popular Marathi actor and the recent Big Boss Marathi Season 4 fame Ruchira Jadhav also graced the event with her presence. Further, the event saw a musical performance and a panel discussion with Ms. Monica Chopra, Manager, PeTA India, Prof. Anu Sinha from St. Xavier’s Institute of Communications and the vegan content creators.

As a run up to the event day, Zouk did multiple live sessions on Instagram. These sessions covered insights from select jury members on topics like “Adopting veganism for building a brand” to an interactive discussion with some creators.

Zouk particularly chose November to host this mega celebration, given it is also World Vegan Month. Zouk has always promoted responsible, cruelty-free lifestyle choices. It imbibes the same values in its varied range of vegan products which assures style and comfort as well. Taking one more step forward in the same direction, Zouk hosted the Vegan Creators Day & Awards to laud digital creators who have been the biggest influencers to bring this change in India.

Overwhelmed by the success of the event, Disha Singh, Founder, and CEO of Zouk, shared her thoughts saying – “From being a small brand, we have grown in scale to be able to celebrate the valuable contribution of creators in our journey. We owe it to them for building awareness about veganism and cruelty-free lifestyle choices, which has benefited Zouk as a brand and many others. So, this was our small way to celebrate the creator community and award some of the top creators, who are loved by millions across India. My team is already planning how we will make the next edition bigger and better. We hope to even include some international vegan creators next time, who can share their experiences and best practices.“

While talking about Zouk, Pradeep Krishnakumar, Co-founder and COO of Zouk, said “When we started Zouk, we researched the different materials used in making Bags. We saw horrific videos of how animal-based leather is made and decided we did not want to put our life’s work to it. Thus, we decided to make Zouk a vegan brand. When we launched, few consumers would comment asking how bags can be vegan. We have taken the effort via putting our digital content and collaborating with thousands of content creators to build that awareness. Today, over 2.5 lakh happy customers of Zouk have adopted a more cruelty-free, responsible lifestyle. Everyone is aware and they are proud of carrying a vegan Zouk product. We also recently launched footwear, which is also PeTA certified vegan. This is just a start and we believe India will see a massive shift towards responsible, cruelty-free consumer choices in the next five years.”

“PETA India is proud to be associated with Zouk, a fully vegan brand that is committed to being ethical in every way and is encouraging more and more people into the conversation about living vegan. The Vegan Creators event is such an engaging way to bring together passionate individuals who care about animals and the planet, and what better than World Vegan Month to celebrate compassion!” said Monica Chopra, Manager of Fashion, Media and Celebrity Projects, PETA India

The event was backed by Loci & Toot, a popular European Restaurant at Bandra in Mumbai. With the vibrant, colorful, and lively ambiance, the vegan menu specially curated by the chef for Zouk and its guests was also one of a kind as the event. The event also had some esteemed digital partners such as St. Xavier’s Institute of Communications, the first college to be granted autonomy by the University of Mumbai in 2010 In 2006, and media partners like Adgullly, one of the most trusted online news sources that obsessively covers the activities stirring up the realm of media, marketing, and advertising, and lastly, Indian Retailer, India’s largest news, information and market intelligence provider in the retail sector.

Somany Ceramics expands its footprints in New Delhi

November 2022: Somany Ceramics Limited, an internationally acclaimed organization, specializing in ceramics and allied products segments, is known to be a leader in design and innovation has opened their Somany Exclusive-H.K. Enterprises, in the capital city of India- New Delhi.

Spread over to an area of 1100 Sq. Ft, the showroom is designed to stand out from any retail outlets in the city. The outlet has the most widest and extensive range of Somany wall and floor tiles, Sanitary and bath Fittings across all major categories that include Duragres-Glazed Vitrified Tiles (including Sub brands: Stylos-600X1200mm, Enorme-800X1600mm, Max-800X2400mm & Embos-600X1200mm collections), Ceramic portfolio (like Glosstra plus & Vistoso-300X600mm & 300X450mm, Marvela-600X1200mm, Ceramic Planks-200X1000mm and patented VC shield tiles-605X605mm), Polished vitrified tiles (Full body & Ultra charge-600X1200mm & 600X600mm) and Outdoor heave duty Durastone tiles (400X400mm & 300X300mm).

The new exclusive store was inaugurated by Mr. Vivek Gupta- Senior General Manager, Somany Ceramics Limited, speaking on the launch Mr. Vivek Gupta- Senior General Manager, Somany Ceramics Limited said that “With the changing consumer demands, SOMANY is delighted to launch a store in New Delhi .The store has an iconic range of wall and floor tiles that will enhance the interior décor of the house. He further included, through our various stores, we aim to grow our state-wide footprint and build exceptional customer experience”.

magicpin partners with Park+ to unlock exciting new offline shopping experiences

National, 28th November 2022: magic pin, India’s largest platform for local shopping and savings, today announced its partnership with Park+, a super app for car owners, striving to enhance the car ownership experience for its users by making it hassle-free.

The unique partnership will see Park+ and magic pin offer a suite of products and services that bring users of both platforms together. With retail shopping as one of the industries that have seen a sharp revival in 2022 post covid and are expected to be back at pre-covid levels, magic pin helps discover and save at local, offline stores and is doubling down on its efforts to grow further.

Commenting on the partnership, Amit Lakhotia, Founder & CEO, of Park+, said, “Park+ has been making conscious efforts to partner with like-minded brands to enhance car ownership experiences for users. As part of this strategy, we are excited to collaborate with a magic pin to make offline shopping a delightful experience. We at Park+ have taken something that has historically been painful & intimidating – finding a parking spot and making it effortless. magic pin users will now be able to discover, book, and pay for a parking spot with a smile. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with the magic pin.”

Anshoo Sharma, CEO & Co-Founder, said, “At magic pin, we’re always looking to make the shopping experience more memorable, whether through the best savings at shops or limited edition products only available with us. With magic pin’s partnership with Park+, shoppers stepping out and using Park+ services will be able to discover amazing shopping offers and discounts!”

This partnership will enable the customers trying to book a parking spot in areas of high footfalls, such as malls and markets, to discover great deals and shopping offers around their location via magic pin. The service will be available in select locations in Delhi such as Pitampura, Janakpuri, Saket, Karol Bagh & Vaishali in time for the festive season shopping and celebrations, with plans to expand to other cities early next year.

Aditya Birla Group’s ‘House of Brands’ venture TMRW partners with 8 Digital-First Lifestyle Brands

New Delhi, November 28, 2022: TMRW, an Aditya Birla Group venture, today announced a partnership with 8 Digital-First lifestyle brands. These partnerships with the new-age founders have been struck within a few months of the launch of the venture. TMRW is on a path to creating a leading technology-led Digital First ‘House of Brands’ business over the next several years. With these 8 brands on board, TMRW has achieved a revenue run-rate of INR 700 Cr+ and is on a path to cross an annual revenue rate of INR 1500 Cr+ in the next 12 months.

The investment in these 8 D2C brands establishes a strong foundation with a diversified portfolio across several fashion sub-categories. With this portfolio, TMRW has established a presence across a broad spectrum of apparel segments ranging from Casual Wear, Kid’s Wear to Western Wear. The plan is to expand in related Lifestyle categories including Beauty & Personal Care. TMRW’s vision is to partner with new-age founders by bringing in strategic, operational & technological capabilities in addition to growth capital. With synergistic investments that will power multiple brands, TMRW will enable blitz scaling and brand building.

TMRW has established a strong D2C portfolio across multiple large and growing sub-categories across these 8 brands:

• Women’s Western Wear (Berrylush): Style forward, fast fashion brand for Gen-Z women
• Casual & Expressive Wear (Bewakoof): India’s largest D2C fashion brand in expressive & casual wear for Gen-Z / Millennials led by various pop culture & fandom trends
• Women’s Casual & Western Wear (Juneberry): Emerging fashion-forward brand for Women focusing on casual wear occasions
• Teen’s Occasion Wear (Natilene): Western Wear Brand for Teen Girls
• Kid’s Wear (Nauti Nati): Premier Kid’s Occasion Wear Brand for Girls & Boys
• Athleisure & Active Wear (Nobero): Youth-focused D2C brand for active consumers. Trendy yet minimalistic products for fashion and functionality
• Casual & Denim Wear (Urbano): Leading Denim lifestyle brand offering quality and fashion at affordable price points
• Casual Wear & Fast Fashion (Weirdo): Fast Fashion brand in casual wear and streetwear for young men and women

Speaking about the investment, Ashish Dikshit, Managing Director, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd, said, “ABFRL has a distinctive heritage of building marquee Fashion & Lifestyle brands. By tapping into ABFRL’s fashion capabilities and category expertise, TMRW is on the path to replicate the success in the Digital First space by building the next generation of memorable brands that will drive India’s E-Commerce growth.”

Prashanth Aluru, CEO and Co-founder, of TMRW, said, “We are excited about partnering with these amazing entrepreneurs that are disrupting multiple Lifestyle categories. With our investment and deep value-addition, we are confident in scaling existing leading brands to become category leaders as well as be the category creators in several emerging categories. We will also leverage our deep partnerships within the E-Commerce & D2C ecosystem to be a force multiplier in the brand’s growth journey.”

Some of these transactions are subject to customary closing conditions and the signing of definitive documents.

VCs encouraging the sustainable development in India through impact investments

In 2021, the impact investing market size in India reached USD 6.8 billion according to the IIIC Reports. With the emergence of impact investment as a new classification, investors are not only allocating funds & supporting startups but are also expanding the meaning of this under-developing form of investment. Impact investments take financial, social & environmental benefits into cogitation. Also, several innovations have emerged, knowing the complications & risks of serving the sustainable and social finance sector. Here are such VCs encouraging sustainable development in India through Impact Investments.
C4D Partners
Capital 4 Development Partners is an impact fund manager incorporated under the laws of the Netherlands in 2012 & intends to reach out to potential investors in India by mid-2022. C4D Partners believes that fair economic development contributes to economic inclusion and the improvement of people’s perspectives in underserved communities. With their investments, they aim for risk-adjusted market-rate financial returns together with social returns for underserved communities. C4D Partners is looking to make investments into early & growth-stage companies that are operating across sectors including agriculture and allied activities, food processing, retail and consumer goods, clean energy, healthcare, skilling and education, water and sanitation, financial inclusion, and others in India.
Omnivore
Omnivore firm is based in India, and funds entrepreneurs building the future of agriculture and food systems. Omnivore pioneered Agri tech investing in India, backing over 20 startups since 2011. Every day, Omnivore portfolio companies drive agricultural prosperity and transform food systems across India, making farming more profitable, resilient, and sustainable.
Aavishkaar Capital
Aavishkaar Capital pioneered the venture capital approach of investing in early-growth stage enterprises in India in 2001, with a focus on geographies and sectors that were often overlooked and challenging. Aavishkaar Capital has gone on to close 6 funds since then, with close to half a billion dollars in AUM today.
Ankur Capital
Ankur Capital is an India-focused micro-fund that incubates and invests in start-up businesses that impact low-income communities. Focuses on models that can provide radical improvements in livelihoods as well as ones that impact health and education in these communities. Partnered with young companies providing intensive hands-on support as well as seed capital. They look to build organizations that can grow and sustainably create impact & is a new fund with an innovative approach to very early-stage investing.

India Emerges As Retailing Hotspot For Global Fashion Brands

28th Nov 2022, New Delhi: Post-covid markets recovery seems all-time high for retail brands. The crowded markets and malls have prompted many international brands to tilt their spotlight to India. The latest in the queue are Paris’s Marie Claire and another one is Swiss Brand which is keen to have a multifold presence in India in retail, clothing & other lifestyle products.

Both brands have taken up brand licensing as their preferred route to speed up their India penetration. The Global Brand Licensing Firm Bradford has received the mandates from both brands for their India entry.

Commenting on the India entry of Marie Claire, Roberto Bré, Marie Claire brand architecture partner told “The licensing model will help the brand have its presence across multiple new segments, which is propelled by an endeavor to bring in the best products and services to our consumer base and continue to grow our patrons across India,” “said.

Marie Claire, while having a significant presence across the globe in beauty cosmetics etc. is looking to launch its niche cosmetics range in India, later they will go with salons, and beauty & wellness academies as well. On the other hand, Swiss Brand provides travel equipment solutions to travelers worldwide and intends to capture a larger share of the Indian market with casual clothing such as t-shirts, shirts, jackets, trousers, jeans, shoes, socks, etc.

Richard Sosnoff (VP of Global Sales) of Swiss Brand said, “Since its establishment, Swiss Brand is a lifestyle brand created to provide innovative solutions for everyday life. We are excited to partner with Bradford India, believe that the licensing model will help the brand have a presence across multiple segments, which is driven by an effort to bring best-in-class innovative products to our customers and grow the Swiss Brand community across India.”

Mr. Sachin Goel, Executive Director & CEO, Bradford-India said, “Licensing is a multibillion-dollar market worldwide, and it is rapidly evolving in India. Because there is a high demand in the Indian market for the categories that Swiss Brand is bringing, licensing is an easy way for a brand like Swiss Brand to be a part of the growth story. Following a successful rollout, strategic partners are being solicited to license Swiss Brand in a variety of categories, with long-term vision and establish 150 Cr business within first 3 years”

Popular Musical Duo Meet Bros Makes Heads Turn at a Musical Event Held at Spectrum@Metro

Noida, 28.November.2022: At Noida’s entertainment hub, Spectrum Metro Mall, sector 75, a musical dance fest named “Dance Masti & Dhamaal- Like Never Before” was recently organized and sponsored by popular pub-cum-restaurant ‘Float by Duty-Free’. Music composer duo Meet Bros performed live for the audience and also inaugurated the ‘Float By Duty-Free’ restaurant. Famous for compositions like ‘Baby Doll’, ‘Chittiyan Kalaiyaan’, ‘Mere Nishaan’, and ‘Hangover’, Meet Bros sang many songs at the musical event and wowed thousands of audience with their enigmatic stage presence and palpable energy.

However, there was no dearth of star attractions at the event. There was a vast inflow of music and dance as famous personalities like Sufi singer Piyush Mehroliyaa, Singer Arjun Sharma, DJ Nitish, and GM Dance Group came to the show and added new flavors of excitement. DJ Nitish played some great Indo-Western music jams and remixes, and people in huge numbers came to the DJ floors to dance to the beats of the music.

The GM Dance Group presented an amazing well-coordinated dance performance. It had elements of Classical Indian and Peppy Western music attached to it. There were also lip-smacking snacks and food assortments available for visitors.

Mr. Pawan Chauhan, the CEO, of Float By Duty Free, said, “We welcomed artists from every corner of India and gave our customers a never-seen-before experience. We were happy to host thousands of visitors who came to enjoy the dance and singing segments organized for them and we will continue to organize such events at Spectrum Metro in the future as well. There was a great crowd expectation, and we feel elated that we outdid those expectations and gave them an event to cherish and remember.”

Mr. Varun Puri, Director, of Float by Duty Free, said, “We always strive to provide the best of our services to our customers. It was amazing that our restaurant launch coincided with a mega-event that brought thousands of people together. We are glad that we will now offer our services to the people of Noida from the 2nd of December