Indian e-commerce industry is expected to grow steadily by 141 per cent to $111.4 billion in 2025, says the Q1 survey by GlobalData. As per Construction Week Online, the survey reveals around 84 per cent of India’s consumers are still concerned about the impact of the pandemic. Reportedly, India recorded an 11-year high wholesale price index (WPI) in April 2021, as it continues to reel under the second COVID wave. Unemployment rate in retail shot up by 8 per cent in April causing 3.4 million salaried employees to lose their jobs.

To trim down expense, some retailers are resorting to salary cuts. With retail stores and malls witnessing a precarious drop in physical footfall, some retailers are also contemplating layoffs and downsizing, says Suresh Sankara, Retail Analyst, GlobalData. In the post pandemic scenario, most Indian retailers are likely to embrace the omnichannel mode of retail.

The fourth quarter net profit of footwear major Liberty Shoes surged to Rs 7 crore ($1 million) as against a net profit of Rs 2 crore it reported in the year-ago period. The company’s revenue for the quarter declined by 19 percent to Rs 163 crore, as against a net profit of Rs 200 crore it reported in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal year.

For the financial year 2020-21, the company reported a revenue of Rs 458 crore down 30 percent as compared to the previous fiscal’s Rs 652 crore, while its net profit dropped by 98 percent to Rs 0.23 crore as against a net profit of Rs 11 crore it reported last year. Liberty Shoes currently has a total of over 400 flagship stores across India and is present in over 5,000 multi-brand outlets. It also retails from its e-commerce store.

India’s largest footwear manufacturer Relaxo has launched an EBO in Agra that follows all COVID appropriate protocols with option of cashless payment. The store offers a variety of footwear from popular brands like Relaxo, Sparx, Bahamas, Flite, MaryJane, Boston, and KidsFun.

Relaxo Footwears is India’s largest footwear manufacturer in terms of volume and second-largest in terms of revenue, with a market share of over 5 per cent. The company makes products under 10 brands including Flite, Sparx, Bahamas and Schoolmate. Incorporated in 1984, Relaxo is a Fortune 500 (India) company. The brand is synonymous with rubber slipper while its Flite range offers fashionable and semi- formal slippers.

Having a pan India distribution footprint, Relaxo also operates a 350+ strong network of own retail outlets, with availability on all major e commerce portals as well.

Women’s ethnic wear brand Biba has launched a new range of kurtas and sets in collaboration with Aditya Birla Group’s sustainable textile brand Liva Fluid Fashion. This sustainable range of ethnic and fusion wear separates ‘Stylised Duets’ made with Liva Fluid Fashion textiles.

The collection features a mix of subtle geometric-style prints and traditional and nature-inspired motifs. It fuses a relaxed silhouette with subtle details such as draped elements and mixed prints for a wearable look.

The garments have been manufactured using Birla Cellulose fibres which come from renewable and natural materials. The business uses a closed-loop process for its manufacturing process which it describes as “responsible manufacturing” and its textiles are fully biodegradable.

The business also has a transparent supply chain, available to view via a QR code, and aims to aid fashion businesses to make their collections more sustainable.

Biba has partnered with Flipkart’s fashion arm Myntra and is participating in its ‘End of Reason sale which runs online from July 3 to 8. The brand is also currently promoting its athleisure range with a series of yoga content on its Facebook page.

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DAILY NEWS:

1. Flipkart, an Indian e-commerce company, collaborates with PUMA on the ‘1DER' line, which features batsman KL Rahul
2. Consumers will determine growth of sustainable fashion e-comm in India
3. Myntra to offer 1 mn styles from about 7,000 brands at the 'Big Fashion Festival'
4. Maharashtra government honors VIP as 'Best Innerwear Brand' for 2021-22
5. Nike strengthens retail presences with new store at DLF Mall of India,Noida

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Designer Varun Bahl has launched an online bridal consulting service to enable customers to plan and order their wedding ensembles completely from home.

As per Fashion Network, the online bridal service enables brides-to-be to have their clothing brought to life from home. Customers will have regular online meetings with the brand’s team, receive instructions on how to measure themselves, get progress updates, and be given detailed customisation options on their outfits as the brand adapts to the new normal.

The brand also recently launched its latest bridal wear collection ‘A Midsummer Dream’ which is available to be shopped through the service. The collection mixes prints with embellishments for an opulent feel and has a colour palette of light, seasonal summery hues.

This collection is inspired by the grandeur of South Asian heritage seamlessly amalgamated with the blissful shades of summer. The vibrant colour palette comes together with resplendent traditional motifs to tell a story that is woven using timeless methods and techniques of South Asian patrimony.

To increase brand awareness, Indian online fashion brand Tjori has signed a Rs 16 crore equity deal with leading publication Hindustan Times. The deal also mandates Tjori to be featured on the HT shop with an aim to create exponential avenues for both the brands. It will help Tjori attract equity investments besides strengthening its branding and marketing activities.

Tjori is a lifestyle e-commerce brand with the vision of bringing the conventional art and craft of India with a sight of overhaul into the global market. Established in 2013, it currently caters to a worldwide population. It has a holistic system that enables it to closely work with gifted artisans and designers to curate beautiful and authentic collections.

The brand was conceived with a sole purpose to provide the right channel to these artisans, to showcase authentic products and to revive age-old crafts.

Saurabh Bansal has been appointed as the Chief Merchandising Officer by e-commerce major Snapdeal. Bansal will lead the entire category management, including merchandise, assortment planning, and seller excellence initiatives, reports Fashion Network.

Bansal joins Snapdeal from Walmart, where he served as the senior vice president and built various categories including home care, personal care, among many others.

Prior to Walmart, he was part of the leadership team at Lenskart and was responsible for the buying & merchandising function catering to all sales channels.

This is Snapdeal’s second senior appointment in a month. In June, Snapdeal had appointed Girish Koppad as the company’s vice president and head of technology.

Snapdeal is one of the leading e-commerce players in India with more than 5 lac sellers on its platform servicing over 26,000 pin codes across India.

India’s leading premium menswear brand from Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail, Louis Philippe has launched a new range of anti-viral face masks to offer protection against viruses and bacteria. Considering the ongoing pandemic, the brand has introduced unique and first-of-its-kind 10-layer Anti-Viral mask range with an objective to offer maximum protection and safety to consumers.

Christened Louis Philippe UltraProtect Double Defence, this newly introduced range of face masks has been created in India, using the Swiss anti-viral technology HeiQ Viroblock. The HeiQ Viroblock fabric is specially infused with virus resistant properties to ensure safety by inhibiting the persistence and growth of viruses and bacteria on its surface, as tested by AATCC 100 and ISO18184 global standards.

Louis Philippe UltraProtect Double Defence masks constitutes a 5-layer mask and 5-layer filter panel. The 5 layers in each mask are made of two layers of premium cotton for comfort and three layers of melt blown for high filtration (in accordance to ASTM F 2101 tested in government approved laboratory). The fabric used is treated with HeiQ Viroblock which results in destruction of the possible contamination by viruses and bacteria on fabric providing utmost protection. Both the mask and filter are washable and recommended to be reused up to 30 gentle laundering.

Louis Philippe UltraProtect Double Defence masks offer twice the comfort as well other than protection and safety due to its ergonomic design. The mask comprises a nose clip for a firm fixture, confirming zero leakage which also helps in preventing fogging on the glasses making it super convenient for people wearing spectacles and sunglasses. This mask comes with softer ear loops, making it easy for users to wear it for longer duration without any discomfort.

Donear Industries’ retail brand D’Cot is set to launch an exclusive upmarket store at Khar, Mumbai. Spanning 700 sq ft, the store will offer a wide range of apparels and fabrics. The product range will include T-shirt, jeans, trousers, jackets and accessories. The store will also offer premium range of fabrics from OCM and luxury fabrics from Moda Beilla range. The fabrics will be inspired by global trends and combine casual and comfort wear with formal wear.

The D’cot Store epitomizes a new way forward for the brand and will help it address the needs of a metropolitan man with exquisite fabrics and garments, says Ajay Agarwal, Executive Director, Donear Group. Akash Manwani, AVP, D’Cot adds, the brand plans to increase its EBO count to 500 in the next two years. It has successfully introduced innovative streetwear in vibrant colors, designs and patterns. The products combine stylewear and fashion with panache.

Mukesh Ambani-owned Reliance Industries plans to buy a majority stake in home fashion brand Portico.

The fast-emerging brand is owned by the Creative Group that manufactures and sells bed and bath products through its own stores as well as other online and offline retailers.

In February last year, Reliance had said it would acquire a 37.7 per cent stake in Alok Industries for Rs 250 crore, after it bid jointly with JM Financial Asset Reconstruction Co for the bankrupt textile manufacturer.

Despite its relatively late entry into the market, Portico India swiftly made up for lost time and is currently ranked as the Number 2 player in the country. Its main prowess continues to be in the bed and bath segment but is rapidly becoming a formidable player in home and interiors too.

Portico also has operations in New York, but that entity is not part of the deal negotiations.

Entrepreneur and designer Pernia Qureshi’s sustainable womenswear brand Gur has stepped into homewares market with a collection of rugs produced in collaboration with rug specialist, House of Rugs. The Gur x House of Rugs collection retails on Gur’s e-commerce store and features a range of rugs in natural hues and abstract designs.

The brand has also launched a new website with dedicated segments for different aspects of sustainable fashion and an e-commerce store. As per Fashion Network, the website features an all-new design and advanced features for shoppers.

The site features information on the various Global Organic Textile Standard-approved fabrics Gur uses in its production including hemp, organic cotton, rose fabric, milk fabric, aloe fabric, and banana fabric. The site aims to serve as an education tool on sustainable textiles, as well as showcase and retail the brand’s garment and accessory selection.

The brand also recently launched the third drop of its summer collection ‘Gypsy Heart’ exclusively on its new online store, the brand announced on Facebook. The collection features painterly patterns, hand embroidery, organic textiles, and several loose, monochrome pieces. The collection has a bohemian, relaxed feel with numerous pieces suitable for work-from-home scenarios.

The fifth edition of apparel trade show Garment Show of India will be held at the Pragati Maidan in New Delhi from July 11 to 13, 2021. As per Fashion Network, the three-day B2B event will be organized by Saina Events.

The trade show will feature product categories including western wear, ethnic wear, traditional wear, and accessories among others. Calling itself the largest-scale domestic textile and apparel industry event, the Garment Show of India will cater to garment manufacturers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors, traders, brands, and retail chains.

In addition to brand stalls showcasing their latest designs and collections, the fair will facilitate networking between manufacturers and buyers. The fair expects around 200 exhibitors and 8,000 visitors, according to its 10Times event page.

The trade show aims to boost the recovery of the apparel industry in the wake of the recent lockdowns across India in response to the second wave of Covid-19. Many apparel manufacturers had to shut down operations in some states as their work was classed as ‘non-essential’ and are thus aiming to find new channels to aid recovery during the remainder of the 2022 financial year.