Based on data analytics by Myntra, top fashion and lifestyle brands such as Puma, Nike, Biba, W For Woman and Max Fashion plan to launch exclusive collections for the e-tailer’s upcoming flagship End Of Reason Sale (EORS) event. Scheduled from December 20-24, 2020, EORS expects 40 million visitors over the five day sale period with demand expected to increase four times over business as usual (BAU) and 1.5 times over the last winter edition. About 50 per cent of the contribution is expected to come from Tier II, III markets.

During last EORS in June, Myntra had recorded 86 per cent increase in the number of customers from Tier II and III cities, indicating a shift in consumer behavior and preference for online shopping during the lockdown. It was the first online sale post COVID-19 lockdown that was being looked upon by brands to bring the first wave of normalcy and to win back shoppers.

Apart from increasing the fleet of delivery agents with 20,000 kirana partners on board, the platform roped in 1,600 brick-and-mortar stores from about 200 brands to serve as fulfillment centers. For its upcoming edition, Myntra will deliver one-third of the EORS orders in paper bag packaging in place of plastic while 50 per cent of the orders will be shipped from solar power-enabled fullfilment centres in Bhiwandi and Bilaspur. The marketplace expects to ship 1.5 crore items by the first week of New Year.

Cotton Council International (CCI), along with the US cotton industry, organized the first ever virtual Cotton Day India 2020 themed ‘Leading through change: Your partner for a new world’. It included discussions on some of the most pressing topics facing the cotton industry in India and globally, with sustainability taking centre stage.

The virtual event, featuring eminent speakers and panellists from the Indian textile industry, US Department of Agriculture, National Cotton Council of America (NCC), Supima and CCI, focused on the outlook for the global cotton industry, opportunities for the Indian cotton textile industry and the need for leadership during the time of crisis.

The keynote address on Indian cotton update was delivered by Lazaro Sandoval, senior agricultural attaché, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). Also pressing on the importance of leadership through crisis, sustainability and retail scenario post COVID-19 was addressed by Michael Duke, former CEO of Wal-Mart.

Footwear brand Fizzy Goblet has opened a new store in Bengaluru with an artisan corner. The store located at Orion Brigade Gateway Mall will have footwear that includes juttis, sneakers, loafers, brogues, and sliders among others.

The artisan corner highlights the master craftsmen who embroider and make the footwear pieces for the brand. The corner will have a master karigar who will embroider pieces live allowing shoppers a chance to customize their pieces.

This is Fizzy Goblet’s third retail store. The brand had launched its first store in Mumbai in 2018 followed by a store in New Delhi last year.

Fizzy Goblet was launched by Laksheeta Govil with the aim of modernizing the classic jutti and creating a joyful and youthful brand. Govil has collaborated with several designers including Payal Singhal and has dressed Bollywood celebrities including Aishwarya Rai, Katrina Kaif, etc.

Join our community on Linkedin 

Dhruv Bogra, Country Manager – India, Forerver New says, his brand has given a boost to the brand’s communication strategy for consumers. Using Artificial Intelligence tools, Forever New has designed personalized communication for each of its customers who are part of its loyalty program called Forever You. They receive offers, promotions and styling look books based on their past purchase behaviour and preferences.

On the e-commerce front, the company has accelerated its transition to omnichannel capability with service partner Ace Turtle and will be live with this capability by next week. It will also launch WhatsApp Commerce by January. One of the first brands to establish the standards and create operating processes for ensuring safety in its stores, Forever New’s communication film to educate its educating our prospective customers on safety standards in stores was widely appreciated and emulated by many brands in the fashion industry.

Through its partnerships with ATK Mohun Bagan FC and Hyderabad FC for the ongoing Indian Super League season (ISL), denim brand Sin aims to deepen its connect with the youth and enhance its presence across India. The partnership marks the brand's maiden association with the teams ahead of Season 2020-21 and represents its deep connect with young India. Founded in 2012, the fashion denim brand had earlier signed Indian cricketer Hardik Pandaya as its brand ambassador.

Sin is very popular among the youth in India, and has won several global accolades; such as Image's Emerging Menswear Brand, Most Admired Fashion Brand (2015) and The Best Fashion Sustainability Award by the global retail giant Lulu.

Flipkart plans to trim store sizes by half and retain the remaining space for online business. As per a Business Today, report, the etailer also plans to convert some of the remaining areas into fulfillment centres. Walmart acquired Flipkart in 2018 for $16 billion to access India's online retail market. Its cash and carry business was taken over by Flipkart in July this year which later launched Flipkart Wholesale.

Trimming store sizes would enable Flipkart to shut a few locations and transform these into fulfillment centres. Nearly half the sales of Walmart stores in India get generated from outside the big-box stores, either through sales teams visiting B2B members for orders or via members directly ordering online.

World's biggest retailer, Walmart entered India through a partnership with Bharti Enterprises for a cash-and-carry business that allows small businesses, kirana stores and hotels to buy in bulk.

Tirupur garment exporters expect exports to grow at least 15 per cent (by volume) and 10 per cent by value for this quarter. As per Raja Shanmugham, Head, Tirupur Exporters Association, the demand pull has been so strong that exports for the current fiscal may top last years’ Rs 25,000 crore even though more than two months were lost due to lockdown and production impairment due to labor shortage.

Not just exports, the high stocks of domestic brands have also been driving business. The association expects domestic supplies to overtake exports, if the present demand continues,: Shanmugam added. Tirupur usually exports 60 per cent of its merchandise and the rest is despatched to the domestic markets.

Dr A Sakhtivel, said the American embargo on exports of cotton from China and knitwear made using Chinese cotton is helping Indian exporters. Several brands are now avoiding China and coming to Tirupur, he added

Garment exports from Tirupur dropped to Rs 25,000 crore for the year ended March 2020, from Rs 26,000 crore in the previous year as COVID pandemic wiped away most of March exports. The target was to export garments worth Rs 28,000 crore. Domestic sales were flat at Rs 25,000 crore for the fiscal. The town employs 6 lakh workers, half of whom are guest workers from other states.

As it tries to ramp up growth, Walmart is mainly focusing on Mexico and India, reports Quartz. In Mexico, the company is building infrastructure to fuel both its e-commerce and brick-and-mortar sales. Last year, it opened 134 new stores. This year, it launched online sales for Bodega Aurrerá, a discount chain serving Mexico’s lower-income population and the largest of its four grocery brands in the country.

In India, Walmart has grabbed a share of the country’s e-commerce sales through Flipkart, the online retailer it acquired a controlling share of in 2018. In July, Flipkart introduced a wholesale marketplace to let small businesses buy directly from manufacturers. Last week Walmart and Flipkart announced a new plan to trip annual exports of Indian goods to other markets by 2027.

Walmart’s other priority markets, China and Canada, are receiving substantial investment as well. Last year Walmart announced a $1,2 billion investment in China and also revealed a plan to open 500 new stores in the country. It also announced plans to invest about $2.6 billion to upgrade its stores and increase its distribution capacity.

Womenswear designer MrunaliniRao will diversify her brand’s product range and launch a ready-to-wear line named ‘Uri’ featuring bright prints and casual silhouettes.

The new collection of affordable clothingaims to capture the essence of being at ease. It features whimsical florals and traditional-inspired abstract elements with a lounge inspired aesthetic.

The new line caters to the increased popularity of lounge wear and work from home wear as the pandemic has caused a decided shift in people’s daily lives. Uri’s maxi dresses and loose, floaty layers are designed to transition from at-home events to more formal occasions.

Designed with longevity in mind, the line features,timeless, handcrafted pieces will be soon launched online and in-stores.

MrunaliniRao retails from its flagship store in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills and multi-brand across India’s metros as well as in London, UK. The brand is known for its bridal and traditional wear and also runs a dedicated e-commerce store.