Launched in May by Reliance Industries, JioMart is set to become the fastest-growing e-commerce platform in India, says a Live Mint report. JioMart has scaled up partnerships with 1,700 merchants and extended ‘kirana’ store partnerships to 20 cities against six in the last quarter.

The platform is evolving into a multi-segment e-commerce play with inclusion of electronics, fashion and lifestyle and pharma products on its platform.

The e-commerce platform will increase RIL’s online gross merchandise value (GMV) to $35 billion in FY25, says Goldman Sachs.

The second quarter of this fiscal saw RIL’s retail business record robust growth across consumption baskets, posting sales of Rs 41,100 crore, an increase from Rs 31,620 crore in the preceding June quarter.

Higher bill value more than compensated for the lower footfall at the company’s grocery stores, 85 per cent of which were shut due to the pandemic-induced lockdown.

Indian designer Hemang Agarwal has launched a new collection called ‘Tattva’ in collaboration with Japanese yarn manufacturer Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei at the Lakme Fashion Week. The collection comprises textiles entirely conceived and created by the designer. Made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linters pre-consumer materials and converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process, Bemberg™ fibers added responsible values to the collection, matching perfectly the vision and the ethic of Hemang Agrawal, a designer with more than one eye on sustainability, innovation and deep knowledge and respect for traditional Indian crafts and culture.

The collection comprised 40 exquisite pieces for men and women inspired by the 12 Tattva – the natural elements bringing harmony in the universe, according to the Indian scriptures and tradition. Motifs representing these elements, including quirky versions of moon-phases, tigers, human mind & DaVinci’s Vitruvian man have been woven into the glittering fabrics. The collection was crafted harnessing the skills of Indian handlooms artisans in the designer’s hometown Benares (Varanasi). It featured Bemberg™ brocades as the predominant textile, along with plain Bemberg™ fabrics and a few blends.

Future Group has filed a lawsuit against Jeff Bezos-led Amazon in Delhi HC to stop the US-based e-tailer from interfering in the Rs 24,713-crore Reliance-Future deal.

In the filing Future Retail reiterated it was not a party to the transaction.

Last month, Amazon had approached SIAC saying Future Retail violated its contractual agreement by selling the retail assets of Future Group to Reliance.

The dispute stems from Amazon's Rs 1,431 crore investment for 50 per cent stake in Future Coupons, which in turn holds 10 per cent stake in the flagship Future Retail, in August last year. As a part of the deal, Biyani had also entered into a restriction on transfer of shares to specified persons and right of first offer of shares to Amazon as well, according to filings made by Future Retail at the time.

This list of "specified persons" included Reliance Industries, and other retailers. However, after this deal, Future Retail's performance languished and Biyani's personal debts put pressure on the share price of the company.

Eventually, in August, Reliance Retail announced the deal to acquire Future Group’s retail assets for Rs 24,713 crore, including debt obligations.

The sale would include brands like Big Bazaar, Foodhall, fbb, Nilgiris, Easyday, Central and Brand Factory and give access to over 1,700 stores across various formats.

The 50th edition of IHGF-Delhi fair Autumn’ 2020 generated good business for participants. The fair was organized virtually from November 4 to 9, 2020 by Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). Around 1,400 Indian companies participated in the show. As per Ravi K Passi, Chairman, EPCH the show featured series of fashion shows on accessories be it beads clutches and sling bags, resort wear, stoles, sequence dresses, capes, masks and much more products.

Along with many items of handicrafts, the event also highlighted hand embroidery and artistic textiles of Kutch, Gujarat, Kani Shawls craft of Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, traditional artistic Kulu Shawls of Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

The event included webinars and panel discussion on topics like ‘Design Trend Forecasts-Spring Summer 2021/22;’ ‘Sell Direct To Consumers Globally – Also Do B2b Sales – Deliver Commerce Everywhere, Building Capabilities For Digital World By Amazon”; “Sustainable Fashion – Why is it future?’ etc.

In its second quarter, Dollar Industries generated revenues of Rs. 258.98 while revenues in the first half of the financial year stood at Rs 419.16 crore. As a result, the company reported a profit of 6.24 per cent in Q2 while it registered a 12.26 per cent loss in H1 of FY21.

Dollar Industries holds 15 per cent of the total market share in the organized segment in its core product category. It ranks amongst the top hosiery and garment manufacturing giants in India and covers an entire range of knitted garments, from basicwear to outerwear.

Besides having a substantial pan-India presence, the company has established its market abroad, in countries like UAE, Oman, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Yemen, Iraq, Nepal and Sudan in past few years. It is the first Indian innerwear company to have a fully integrated manufacturing unit which is equipped with all the latest processing technologies and the top-most finishing range to produce finished raw material dyed in any possible colour.

American fashion retailer, Hanesbrands Inc expects to earn between $1.60 and $1.66 billion revenue in Q4. In its third quarter that ended on September 26, 2020, the company’s net sales declined 3 per cent Y-o-Y to $ 1.81 billion compared to $ 1.87 billion recorded in the third quarter of 2019.

It sold $179 million in personal protective garments across the globe. Excluding the sales from the exited C9 Champion as well as DKNY apparel license in addition to the impact of changes in foreign exchange rates, its total constant-currency net sales this quarter rose by 2.6 per cent.

Spurred by protective apparels, the company’s innerwear sales rose by 37 per cent. Excluding protective apparels, its innerwear sales rose by 8.4 per cent, which is not bad. Activewear sales slumped 41 per cent as lots of sports events were called off this year.

The flagship fashion business of Future Group, Future Lifestyle Fashions (FLF) posted a consolidated net loss of Rs 258 crore for the second quarter ended September 30, 2020. It had posted a net profit of Rs 12 crore during the corresponding period last year. The company’s revenue for the quarter under review declined to Rs 424 crore from Rs 1,583 crore in the last fiscal. Its expenses for the quarter were reported to be Rs 682 crore, as against Rs 1,562 crore it registered last year.

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns leading to closure of company’s stores across India has led to a drop in company’s revenues and resultant loss for the quarter. However, FLF is optimistic about the future as it has opened 100 per cent offline stores across the country. It has a diversified portfolio spanning 30 fashion brands, FLF has more than 300 stores in over 90 cities.

Women’s clothing is seeing more traction and sale as against the men’s this Diwali, says a Business World report. Men are buying significantly less this time as compared to their traditional buying habits. More women are going for shimmers and also opting for leather-based clothing. While online sales have picked up, people are visiting standalone showrooms. Consumers as well as industry players are beginning to feel positive and the confidence is also limping back to normalcy. The momentum is expected to improve post-Diwali.

However, this year’s Diwali revenues appear too abysmal compared to previous season. Whatever sales are happening can be associated more with the fall and winter seasons rather than Diwali. Though some people are now daring to venture out for shopping, there are hardly any parties happening and incomes are also curtailed. These factors can also be attributed to reduced sale numbers.

A few months ago, US-based management consulting firm McKinsey & Company had suggested that the situation would deteriorate from high-alert to red zone. According to its findings, as much as 80 per cent of leading fashion companies across the US and Europe would be in financial distress due to the pandemic.

Denim production and consumption in India is increasing at a CAGR of 15 per cent, says a report by Business of Fashion and McKinsey. The pandemic has challenged the fashion sector in the nation. Executives from three Indian denim mills shared their views on the current denim industry at a Carved in Blue webinar recently.

Aamir Akhtar, CEO, Arvind , noted that as brands still hold their spring inventory and plan to repurpose the same, they aren’t buying new. However, capacity at several mills still remains underutilized. Over the next six months, most Indian mills won’t surpass a capacity of 45-55 per cent, said Aditya Goyal, CEO and Managing Director, Anuhba Industries.

However, demand in rural areas has been increasing where denim is being purchased as a workwear essential. These individuals are able to sell their goods and have received support from the government. Meanwhile, cities are taking longer to bounce back and make denim purchases since workers are unemployed and businesses are struggling. Because of this, commoditized denim is rebounding at a greater rate than fashion denim.

Even though consumers’ stay-at-home lifestyles have caused denim sales to take a hit, denim mills expect demand for denim to bounce back soon. It cannot be challenged by anything but itself, asserted Subir Mukherjee, Business Head, Bhaskar Denim.