The Power of Retail

Now that the rains are here, I need to get all my plants back in shape with pruning, re-potting and all. Unless you take care of your plants at this time of the year, you’re going to end up with scrawny specimens of not much use for display or green coverage. It’s not all that expensive either to  get started on taking care of the plants as there are lots of coupons available such as these Spring Hill coupons that give you $25 off on orders of $50 or more, which are a really superb deal.

I’ve always found lots of usable coupons at Coupon Chief, but this one was definitely one of the most fun and inspiring ones, since it got me back to gardening, a hobby that has interested me for a long time, but I have been neglecting lately, for lack of time. Take a look yourself and you’re sure to find something inspiring yourself.

Bharti Retails advertising account worth Rs. 50 crore has been won by global firm JWT. Ever since the company announced its plans to entering retail in a big way, advertising companies such as Lowe, O&M, Leo Burnett and McCann-Erickson have been vying for its account. Besides taking care of its advertising, JWT will also be responsible for building the Bharti brand as well as store design.

I’m looking forward to getting a whole new set of business and personal cards, along with some address labels, once we move. The kind of printing services that one gets now is quite amazing, as the quality and variety as improved significantly. The designs one gets now are also much more interesting than before. Take a look at this company that has some really nice designs and you’ll know what I mean. 1000s Postcard Printing is a custom postcard printing company where you can fully customize the kind of printing work you need, whether it is a flyer or professional model composite cards or business cards. Once you go through some of their designs you’ll see that they only have the best of quality and designs.

Many luxury brands are likely to find it harder to enter the Indian retail market as the government is planning to change its foreign direct investment (FDI) norms. Specifically, rules regarding franchise agreements that take place between Indian companies and overseas partners are being changed. Once this change takes place, franchise agreements in sectors that do not allow automatic foreign direct investment will be affected. Brands such a Chanel, Ferragamo, Valentino and Tiffany operate in India via this franchising route and Gucci, FCUK and Starbucks are planning on entering the market via a franchising agreement.

I finally got a new cell phone this week. I’ve always used my cell phone just as a phone, not as a camera or an email tool or to listen to music, so wasn’t really concerned when my phone couldn’t do all the things that any good phone must according to everything I read in the newspapers and magazines. But when my phone itself started looking outdated, I decided to make a switch. I’ve gone in for another Nokia cell phone, since I really like their menu and commands, but again my cell phone is just a phone and not a multi utility communication tool. Even though my phone is quite basic, I will be getting some extras for it like an extended cellular battery that ensures that it lasts a long time without having to be recharged. I also found some other fun stuff at AccessoryGeeks, that I’m getting tempted to buy for my phone, since it’s brand new!

We returned to Bombay last night on a flight that was delayed over three hours. I’m just glad the flight didn’t get cancelled at least, even though it was after 1am by the time we got home. We reach home to realize that the road outside our complex is closed and we cannot even drive into our apartment complex. Thankfully, we do two other gates from where we can drive to our apartment in a long drawn out way. The city is constantly changing and one never knows where what one will encounter after being away for just a couple of weeks.

The need for public speakers is growing quite fast. Consumers in general need to be inspired and uplifted from their daily lives and there really is no one better than well known public figures to do this. The International Speakers Bureau is one such organization that provides a business organization with motivational public speakers. It’s not easy to get celebrity speakers to speak at your organization on your own, but ISB makes for an easy interaction between speakers and organizations, including with some of the most famous names in the world, including Ben Stein, Dick Cavett, Jon Stewart, Al Franken and many more.

The Indian government is most likely to ease restrictions in FDI and exempt certain sectors from mandatory requirements under Press Note 1 (PN1). Sectors such as advertising, hospitality, franchise operations and other services will likely be excluded from Press Note 1. Once this rule is official, it will remove major obstacles in the fields of advertising, hotels, agro processing and franchising.

Nothing quite like a vacation at a private secluded place, right? We like to completely disconnect with everything from our daily lives when we go on vacation so that we’re completely and utterly refreshed when we return. Rocky Point Rentals provide just this kind of seclusion with their ocean from vacation homes and condo rentals. Located on the Sea of Cortez, Rocky Point vacation homes really are the perfect escape from the daily grind and a great way to spend a relaxing vacation. All vacation homes and condos have fully equipped kitchens, wood-burning fireplaces, internet access and even satellite TV. I wouldn’t actually like to have internet, since it means that work can find its way to you, and a vacation is all about completely letting go. Unfortunately, the reality of life is that most people can’t really take a full vacation and bring along some work and so these facilities make it easier for them to be able to do both.

The Indian Railways has a huge amount of land and is working on a plan to offer some of its less used space to retailers. Besides its stations, rail-yards, and goods sheds, the railways also has 7 cinema halls, which is what is likely to be given to retailers such as Reliance, Bharti-Wal-Mart, Future Group, to use as warehouses. These cinemas are located in cities such as Delhi, Chandigarh, Bhopal and Indore and are thus perfectly placed to be converted into warehouses and distribution centers.

A Rail Bhawan official stated that, “Big retail companies are in talks with us for taking various real estate spaces across the country, and these cinema halls are one of them. The real estate, including halls and clubs would be leased out to them on competitive basis, provided they cease to be of use to us any more.”