The Raymond brand of shirting & suiting certainly needs no special introduction. They have been at the service of their clienteles & customers across India since the last 9 decades building up their own phenomenal reputation as far as branded fabrics are concerned.

On 14th Aug, 2017, a day prior to our 71st Independence day, “The Raymond Store” opened its new outlet in Jayanagar, the fashion hub, of Bangalore. And so on this auspicious day all roads across Jayanagar led to 4th Cross of the 11th Main Road to witness the grand opening of “The Raymond Store” at the hands of the veteran Kannada actor in tandem with Ram Bhatnagar (Vice President – Sales – Raymond), Mohit Dhanjal (Director – Retail – Raymond) & above all Gautam Bhobe – Genral Manager of “The Raymond Store”).

With the arrival of the Chief Guest namely Kannada actor Srinath, along with Ram Bhatnagar, Mohit Dhanjal & Gautam Bhobe, a perfunctory lighting of the Ceremonial Lamp was performed declaring the opening of the grand Raymond’s store of Jayanagar on the 4th cross of the 11th Main Road.

This was followed by a tour of “The Raymond Store” for the guest & the media ending up with a Press Conference held in the basement of “The Raymond Store”.

This was again followed by a dinner party, for the guest & the media, almost 5 kilometers away from the main Raymond’s store. Needless to say that many of them could not make it due to lack of proper guidance from the PR team of Corporate Communications in tow with the PR team of Elkay PR. The same misguidance occurred while handing out the Raymond’s media kit, no wonder many of them had to leave empty handed while others walked away with more than one media kit. One hopes Rohit Khanna of Corporate Communications is tuned in!!!!!

Coming to the introductory part, a few words about the most popular Raymond’s brand will certainly not be out of place. So Raymond’s is India’s largest integrated worsted suiting manufacturer that offers end – to – end solutions for fabrics & garmenting.

Over the years, Raymond has been synonymous with quality, innovation & market leadership. It has some of the most leading brands within its portfolio, like Raymond Ready To Wear, Park Avenue, ColorPlus, Parx, Raymond Made To Measure amongst others.

Raymond has one of the largest exclusive retail networks in the country with over 1000 stores across 400 towns and the currently launched Raymond’s store is housed in the posh locality of Jayanagar, Bangalore and also happens to be the largest Ramond’s store in India spreading across 11000 sq feet.

As a part of the diversified Group, Raymond’s group also has business interests in men’s accessories, personal grooming & toiletries (barring their inner wear which can then make them a “Complete Raymond Man”), prophylactics, engineering & auto components across national & international markets.

Having enjoyed the patronage of over a billion consumers, Raymond as a brand has been consistently delivering world class quality products to its consumers over the past 9 decades.

So the city of Bengaluru now has an all – new fashion destination with the inauguration of an exclusive new format “The Raymond Shop” at Jaynagar. Sprawling over 11000 sq. ft, the store is conveniently located in the heart of the city & offers a wide array of clothing options for the discerning consumers through an exquisite range of Raymond Fine fabrics as well as ready to wear apparel, ethnic wear & Footwear.

Built way back in 1997, The Raymond Shop has been a landmark and has enjoyed the patronage of its consumers over the past 2 decades. The inauguration ceremony was attended by eminent personalities from the city.

Speaking during the launch of this new store, Mohit Dhanjal, Director – Retail, Raymond Limited averred, “Being one of the most admired brands in the country; Raymond has enjoyed the patronage of its consumers since the past 92 years. As the consumer landscape in India is evolving at a breath taking speed, it is imperative for Brick & Mortar players to innovate with retail formats that promise consumers a pleasurable shopping experience. This all new format of Raymond Shop has evolved with the changing needs of consumers and offers them the avenue to create a wardrobe across occasions. ”

In the same breath Ram Bhastnagar, Vice President – Sales Raymond Limited enlightened the gathering by averring, “Raymond Limited is soon coming up with the ethnic wear in lieu with Khadi fabrics. The Raymond Khadi range will certainly be one of its kind to be launched on 2nd October 2017 coinciding with Mahatma Gandhi’s, (Father of the nation) birth anniversary.”

While consumers can select from an array of fabrics to craft suits, trousers, shirts & jackets and avail Custom Tailoring Service that offers the perfect fit. The store houses a wide range of finely crafted garments from Raymond Ready To Wear, stylish & innovative wardrobe solutions from Park Avenue, fashion casual wear for occasions beyond work from Parx & smart casuals from Color Plus.

In conclusion one can say that to complete the look consumers can choose from a wide range of accessories like ties, belts, bows, cuff links & pocket squares (barring the innerwear’s of course) and also shop for a brand new pair of shoes from the footwear section.

A dedicated Raymond Made to Measure area in the store offers discerning consumers an avenue to personalize their ensemble bringing together their own personal style.

With festive season around the corner, one can select a wide range of finest ethnic wear options such as Kurtas, Sherwanis, Bundis & Indo western.

The Raymond Shop (TRS) has been delivering finest quality fabric & garments to customers since its inception in 1958. The Raymond Shop’s wide reach & range of products, makes it the largest one stop retail network in the country. Raymond’s retail network constantly sets new benchmarks in the industry and strives to create an environment that make shopping a pleasurable experience.

Agrahyah Technologies (AT) has been conceptualized by 3 friends turned entrepreneurs namely Sreeraman Thiagarajan, Rushabh Vasa & Uppal Shah. The young Turks are developing AT as software technology start – up to build a suite of apps (applications), products & content ground – up for millions of Indians who are non – English literates.

Agrahyah Technologies aim to make technology useful for everyone and remove English as a barrier for getting full advantages of the internet. Calculator for India is their 1st product. It is fully functional & free calculator that is available in 11 Indian vernacular languages including, Hindi, English, Tamil, Kannada, Marathi, Urdu, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, Punjabi & Telugu.

In past 6 months since its inception, AT is working to build apps & content in Indian vernacular languages which cater to the masses in a culturally & a contextually relevant way. Technology giants & government are working to get more people online by increasing connectivity, but it raises an acute challenge in terms of inclusion. Of the approximately 400 million plus Indian users online, only 175 million users are comfortable with English.

The World Wide Web is dominated by English. India has over 400 million Hindi literates but WWW has less than 0.5% of Hindi content online. These stark differences will grow further if the language divide is not addressed adequately & urgently.

There is a huge gap in the availability of high quality apps & content in vernacular languages. This is where AT steps in to build a bridge with a unique approach of building high quality apps & content for users in vernacular languages.

The philosophy at AT is to be culturally & contextually relevant for each language. For instance, AT has developed “Calculator For India” a free Android app that works in 11 Indian languages and also has GST calculation feature.

This is the 1st ever step to build multi -vernacular web for the growing number of Android users in India. AT is also launchingHotFridayTalks.com later this month, which is a Lifestyle & Entertainment portal that aims to be a tech lead, mobile first & new age hangout for youth. The vision is to develop a lifestyle portal with content written in each of the vernacular languages rather than merely translate it.

by Saleela Kappan

Chennai/Bengaluru: Hyundai Motor India Ltd, the country’s 2nd largest car manufacturer and leading passenger car exporter unveiled the much-awaited Super Performer Brand – The Next Gen ‘VERNA’ with SUPER BODY STRUCTURE in Chennai today. Hyundai Motor India breaks new ground with its 5th Generation game-changer sedan slated for launch on August 22, 2017.

The Next Gen Verna is a technological marvel developed with Futuristic Design, Dynamic Performance, Super Safety and New Technology & Advanced Features. The Superior performance of Next Gen Verna stems from vehicle’s SUPER BODY STRUCTURE frame built out of 50% Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS).

Speaking at the Showcase, Mr. Y.K Koo, Managing Director & CEO, HMIL said, “We are proud to announce the unveiling of the most awaited and aspirational Next Gen Verna for Indian market. The 5th generation Next Gen Verna is a true expression of a Superior Sedan crafted with perfection and excellence in Engineering. Next Gen Verna will create a disruption in the sedan segment with its benchmark features and performance for customers’ delight. Verna has a rich legacy and has strong presence in more than 66 Countries for over 8.8 Million customers across the world and 3.17 lakh units in India.”

The Next Gen Verna is a result of our numerous Product Clinics and Rigorous Product tests on various terrains in India and worldwide. Our R&D Centre in Namyang (S. Korea), Chennai and Hyderabad has put extreme efforts to make this a world-Class sedan for Product Supremacy and utmost customer satisfaction, he added.”

SUPER BODY STRUCTURE

The Next Gen Verna with ‘SUPER BODY STRUCTURE’ is built on Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) body structure including Hot stamping Applications that enables the sedan for superior performance and unmatched safety ensuring Best-in-Class body rigidity, Structural Changes and Crash Performance. The Rigid and Responsive Chassis, and improved impact Harshness offers Superior Road feedback to the driver for a confident driving experience. The SUPER BODY STRUCTURE ensures adequate weight control thus enhancing both performance and fuel efficiency.

The Next Gen Verna has outstanding low NVH characteristics by the use of enhanced sound absorption materials and STRONG BODY STRUCTURE (AHSS) and improved engineering of design. Multiple measures have been taken to contain NVH to barely perceptible traces such as engine and transmission mount design change, implementation of tunnel insulator, extensive application of foam filler in cavity etc.

Superior Ride & Handling

The Next Gen Verna is engineered to deliver superior ride and handling for utmost driver confidence and enthusiastic driving experience. The 5th Generation Verna is built on the All New K2 platform thus enabling precise tuning of key suspension components for enhanced cornering and high speed stability, superior ride comfort and precise handling performance, making it the Next Gen Sedan optimised for Indian conditions. The rear suspension geometry has been modified for stable and comfortable ride for rear passengers by vertical angle of rear shock absorbers and coil springs on the coupled torsion beam axle.

The front suspension uses an optimally designed McPherson strut with coil springs and gas shock absorbers along with a front stabilizer to help reduce the body roll when cornering. The standard Motor-Driven Power Steering System (MDPS) has been tuned to provide superior feedback while cornering and at high speeds thus delivering precise handling response and confident drive. The front wheel caster angle has been modified to further enhance the steering feedback to the driver at Highway speeds.

Engine and Transmission

The Next-Gen Verna is equipped with the most powerful powertrain options with a choice of two power packed 1.6 litre Dual VTVT petrol and 1.6 litre U2 CRDi VGT diesel engine. The engines with advanced 6 Speed Manual and 6 Speed Automatic Transmissions have been tuned to provide superior low and high speed performance to suite city & highway driving with high fuel efficiency.

The Best-in-Class powerful 1.6 litre Dual VTVT petrol engine offers 123PS power with high fuel efficiency and 1.6 litre U2 CRDi VGT diesel engine offers best in segment 128PS power.

Bookings Open: The booking for Customer starts today at all the dealerships across India.

For further information, contact:

Hyundai Motor India Ltd
Ravi Sharma (+91 9899290497)
Email: ravisharma@hmil.net

Hyundai Motor India Ltd
V Anand (+91 9810758141)
Email: anandv@hmil.net

Mr. Satish Reddy will be instrumental in strengthening global ties of USA and Foreign Countries and plans to strengthen the political interests of India on global platform
25th July 2017, Transformation is evident not only in USA but also across the world while America is approaching their next Presidential Election in 2020. Robby Wells who is elected as the next presidential candidate for Democrat party has appointed Mr. Satish Reddy the Managing Director of World News Network, a citizen and a media baron from India as the International Ambassador of Foreign Relations recently.

Mr. Satish Reddy who has been instrumental in establishing a platform for entrepreneur across various sectors all over the world, had previously been responsible in organizing Paris Appreciation Award atop Eiffel Tower to encourage innovation and promote the rise of entrepreneurship. This successful initiative had brought together delegates from all over the world on one platform and offered new opportunities for global economy.

On the occasion of being appointed as the International Ambassador of Foreign Relations, Managing Director Mr. Satish Reddy added “Robby wells as a presidential candidate of Democrat party for 2020 Elections in USA would certainly create an affinity among Americans and Indian American population. Myself being appointed as the international ambassador for foreign relations i would certainly strive for encouraging both the countries in making financial alliances that will lead to potential economic growth in various industrial sectors. I also intend to promote Indian political interests by educating the candidate about the foreign policy of the country, thereby creating a better understanding about the Indian policies vis a vis the world. Mr .Robby Wells would be meeting political and administrative dignitaries around the world to promote sustainable development of nations along with peaceful cooperation through exchange of ideas over a cordial platform .I would be coordinating these activities along with Mr Wells and Team Riseup encouraging enterprise through sustainable development while protecting the environment and resolving political issues in a peaceful manner across the world. As international ambassador of a US presidential candidate I am hopeful it will only widen the scope of my current vision. We plan to organize summits which will include participation of political and administrative dignitaries along with industrial heads across the world in Europe, Asia, America , Africa, Middle East to strengthen global ties.”.

Mr. Robby Wells, the presidential candidate for 2020 elections added “We are pleased to announce that Mr. Satish Reddy has joined the ‘Rise Up – Robby Wells for President 2020’ campaign as the International Ambassador of Foreign Relations. Mr. Reddy brings a wealth of experience to the campaign as the founder and CEO of the World News Network. His worldwide contacts will help this campaign and ultimately the United States in building long lasting relationships and alliances.

Mumbai: SmashUp, one of the flagship events of TiE Mumbai was held at ISDI ACE, Lower Parel over the weekend. In the last 7 years, SmashUp has brought together new and aspiring entrepreneurs to exchange ideas and boost peer learning from successful entrepreneurs. SmashUp is a platform where ideas mature into action plans inspired by stories of successful as well as not so successful strategies.

The main highlight of the conference was Smasher Award – a Spot funding platform created by TiE Charter Members, wherein six shortlisted startups pitched for a grand prize of $40K (~ INR 25 Lakhs). Each StartUp was given 15 mins with the investors (5 mins to pitch, 5 mins Q&A and 5 mins to discuss the details of funding). This year, the Smasher Award was bagged by a startup called IPHawk. It was funded by Sanjay Mehta, Dewang Nerella and other TiE Angels. The group of angel investors will become mentors and open doors for the StartUp rather than just passive investors.

Founders of Purple Squirrel, TinyOwl – Saurabh Goyal, Taskbob – Assem Khare, Zimmber – Anubhav Goel participated in a session called ‘StartUp Tales: Starting the 2nd Innings’ where they narrated their struggles, challenges in starting a venture, guide to raising the first million, surviving the first year after fund raising and finally the process of shutting down. Situations related to investors, staff relations and reasons for calling it quits which have never been spoken in open forums were discussed by these daredevil founders.

Commenting on the grand success of SmashUp 7.0, Mr. Anand Desai, President, TiE Mumbai said “Over the years SmashUp has established itself as a platform where entrepreneurs get access to and direction from those who have walked the path. This year too, SmashUp is successful in meeting expectations of the startup ecosystem. TiE Mumbai’s mission is to foster entrepreneurship and we will continue to give new entrepreneurs access to the startup ecosystem.”

About TiE:

TiE is a non-profit, global community catalyzing entrepreneurship development, through five pillars of activity – mentoring, networking, education, incubating and funding. TiE was founded in 1992 by a group of successful entrepreneurs and is today the world’s largest organization in its space. The Mumbai chapter has recently forayed into angel funding, another helping hand to fledgling entrepreneurs, with a ticket size of Rs.25-50 lakh. A total of 20 such angel networks are active across the TiE platform. Other programmes like TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) and Mentor Match are also accomplishing the TiE mission of guidance to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

by David Bodapati

Trading Away Health – The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership

Next week, Hyderabad is set to host the 19th round of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) from July 24 to 28, a regional trade agreement between India, the ten member states of the ASEAN and, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, and Republic of Korea. This trade deal threatens to undermine the ability of some of the world’s poorest people to get access to good quality medicines at cheap and affordable prices.

Since 2012, the RCEP trade agreement has been under negotiation between the ten members of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and the six countries that have existing trade agreements with ASEAN: Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea. Notably, the RCEP countries are home to nearly 50% of the global population, including some of the world’s most impoverished and marginalised communities.The RCEP trade agreement is being negotiated in secret, without input from public health stakeholders.

“Amongst a handful of developing countries with a huge production capacity to manufacture quality-assured generic medicines, India did not grant patents on medicines till 2005 and thus, its generic companies produce some of the cheapest life-saving drugs in the world,” said Shailly Gupta, Deputy Head, MSF Access Campaign (India).

Death warrant to people living with HIV

Known as the ‘pharmacy of the developing world’, India played a major role in scaling up treatment to 17 million people across the world by lowering the price of anti-retrovirals (HIV medicines) from Rs. 6 lakh ($10,000) per patient per year in 2001 to less than Rs.18,000 ($300). The Indian government presently provides free Anti-retrovirals (ARV) to 9.94 lakh people (out of 24 lakh) living with HIV. Any trade agreement which forces the increase in price of these life-saving medicines will not only hamper the Indian government’s public health programme but is a sure death warrant to thousands of HIV positive people in India.

Similarly, the drug Imatinib can completely cure Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia (CML) or Blood Cancer. A month’s treatment using one of the branded varieties of Imatinib drug would cost Rs 1.24 lakh per patient per month while it is just Rs 5,720 per month per patient with the generic variety.

“As a medical treatment provider, Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) relies on affordable, quality generic medicines to treat a number of diseases. In fact, 97 per cent of the medicines used by MSF to treat HIV are generics sourced from India,’’ said Gupta.

“As a medical humanitarian organisation working in nearly 70 countries, MSF is concerned that demands for intellectual property provisions in the intellectual property and investment chapters could potentially challenge a government’s capacity to initiate and execute policies to protect public health and ensure affordable access to medicines for all,” she added.

According to the leaked text, Japan and the Republic of Korea are pushing for provisions that go far beyond international trade rules (known as TRIPS-plus rules) to extend drug corporations’ patent terms and introduce the most damaging form of clinical trial data monopolies. Further, the proposed elevated levels of IP enforcement would delay generic competition and translate into higher prices for lengthier periods of time, which would, in turn, prevent the flow of affordable generic medicines from producer to patient. These provisions offer pharmaceutical corporations a blank cheque for abuse. In developing countries, where people rarely have health insurance and must pay for medicines out of pocket, high prices keep life-saving medicines out of reach – and this is often a matter of life and death.

Dangerous trend

RCEP’s damaging provisions are similar to those included in the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement between the United States and eleven other Pacific Rim countries signed in February 2016 after years of secretive negotiations. Seven countries are common to both the TPP and the RCEP. The TPP has been repeatedly referred to as “the worst trade deal ever for access to medicines.”
“It is disturbing to note that Japan and the Republic of Korea (who are also part of the TPP) are seeking to include similar damaging IP provisions in a trade agreement that includes many more developing countries,” said Leena Menghaney, Head South Asia, MSF Access Campaign.

“Multinational pharma corporations view robust, affordable generic medicines produced and marketed by Indian suppliers as an enormous threat to their profits.,” she added.

Dr Gopal Dabade, President, Drug Action Forum – Karnataka, feels that India’s patent law and the argument that multinational drug manufacturing companies based in the US and Europe deserve compensation for the large amounts they spend on research is not valid. “Most of the innovation happens at public-funded institutions and universities. The teams here do the basic research and then the drug companies develop it and market it. There are countless studies that show that drug companies really spend more on advertising and promotion. At times they may even spend on research, it’s mainly to gauge how to sell a drug better,” says the renowned doctor and health activist.

“Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently visited USA to meet president Donald Trump.During their meeting one important agenda was that India should amend its Patent Law so as to suit the American drug manufacturing companies. It is not just USA but also the European Commission which is currently having trade negotiations with India which is called a Free Trade Agreement (FTA). It suggested India to make changes so that it will bring more profits to the big drug companies in Europe. But this will also seriously hamper access to medicines across the developing world,” Dr Dabade added.

If the IP provisions proposed in RCEP are accepted, access to affordable life saving medicines will be restricted for people in India and around the world who rely on life-saving affordable generics made in India. Many organisations and activists are gathering in Hyderabad to undertake protests and marches to oppose the trade treaties which can trade away the health of the poor people.

David Bodapati is a journalist turned health activist working with networks of people living with HIV and other marginalised groups to support Access to Medicines.

London: Britain-based luxury phone-maker Vertu, which rolled out smartphones carrying hefty price tags, is closing down, the media reported.

The company recently faced financial difficulties and will be liquidated after a plan to save it failed, BBC reported.

Nearly 200 jobs will be lost as a result of the company’s liquidation.

“Well it’s gone into liquidation and I’m not being paid by them any more,” a spokesman for the firm was quoted as saying.

The company apparently struggled to find a customer base for its $46,600 polished 18-carat red gold phones, Mashable.com reported on Friday.

The past few years for the makers of the jewel-encrusted cellphones have been tumultuous, and all the $1,200 Vertu Grape Lizard Slip Cases in the world were not enough to save the company from its financial troubles, the report said.

Vertu was founded by Nokia in 1998, but it was sold in 2012. The following year, Vertu switched from using Nokia’s Symbian operating system to Google’s Android.

(IANS)

Dismisses application filed by the State of Maharashtra seeking vacation of stay

Delhi: Direct selling company QNet and its sub-franchisee Vihaan Direct Selling (India) Pvt. Ltd were granted further relief today when the Supreme Court granted no interference to the stay issued earlier in March.

Bench of Justice Nariman and Justice Kaul heard the matter briefly and observed that the stay granted on the earlier occasion needs no interference. The court thereafter dismissed the application filed by the State of Maharashtra seeking vacation of stay.

The Hon’ble Supreme Court sought information from the State on the status of the appointment of the Monitoring Authority. In response, the state of Maharashtra indicated that they have not taken any steps in this regard.

Earlier on March 27, 2017, the Supreme Court had ordered a stay on all FIRs and proceedings against QNet’s business in India. The order is seen as a positive development for the direct selling industry as it comes at a juncture when the government is trying to instill confidence in the industry with the introduction of the model Direct Selling Guidelines.

India: Sayre Therapeutics with a portfolio of oncology and immunology focused commercial products, has entered into an exclusive license agreement with Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NAVB) (“Navidea”), a company focused on the development and commercialization of precision immunodiagnostic agents and immunotherapeutic, for the development and commercialization of Tc 99m tilmanocept in India.

The receptor-targeted, radiopharmaceutical imaging agent was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2013 and by the European Medicines Agency in November 2014 under the brand name LYMPHOSEEK®. Tc 99m Tilmanocept is already commercialized in three major European Countries along with the US and represents Next-Generation Standard of Diagnosis for Sentinel Lymph Node Detection. Tc 99m Tilmanocept is approved for guiding sentinel lymph node biopsy in patients with clinically node negative breast cancer, squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity, or melanoma.
Shukrit Sudhir Chimote, CEO, Sayre Therapeutics, stated, “Our collaboration with Navidea is a testament to our efforts in introducing innovative cancer products to the Indian subcontinent. Sayre is committed to the access and availability of life-saving medicines in South Asia, to benefit the patient community and improve their quality of life.”

Praveen Bose, Senior Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Sayre Therapeutics, stated, “Cancer of the breast affects approximately 155,000 patients in India every year. Tc 99m tilmanocept, the only targeted radio-diagnostic will be a welcome addition to the current armamentarium. In an US study of 31 patients, Tc 99m tilmanocept exhibited high specificity for identification of cancer affected lymph nodes, ensuring accurate staging and treatment of patients. In another study of 148 patients, Tc 99m tilmanocept identified more cancer affected lymph nodes per patient than conventional method of staining with vital blue dye. This targeted detection of higher number of lymph nodes, ensures precise staging of disease and appropriate therapy of patients. Cancer of the head and neck is a dreaded disease in India affecting approximately 160,000 patients every year. Currently Elective Neck Dissection (END) is the gold standard for assessment of spread of tumor to lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer. In a study of 101 head and neck cancer patients in the US, Tc 99m tilmanocept provided a high Negative Predictive Value (NPV), identifying correctly the lymph nodes that were free of cancer. This means, Tc 99m tilmanocept can be used to assess cancer spread in head and neck cancer patients, sparing the potential morbidity associated with END and offer better QOL (Quality of Life) to these patients.”

New Delhi: Even as online shopping is fast catching up and large malls are offering multibrand retail variety to customers, the traditional and oldest method of direct selling is also entrenching itself in the market place. According to a recently published report of the World Federation of Direct Selling Associations, the retail sales of the Direct Selling Industry stood at USD 183 billion globally. The Asia Pacific region was the highest contributor with as much as 46 per cent of sales coming from this region.

The US was in the second spot with 33 per cent of the sales while Europe brought in 20 per cent. Africa and the Middle East were the lowest in terms of retails sales with just about 1 per cent of the global sales coming from that region. Total retail sales of USD 183 billion in 2016 were up 1.9 per cent from the previous year and have been growing at a healthy pace of 5.20 per cent.

In 2016 the total retail sales reported by the Asia Pacific region stood at USD 83.75 billion up 1.10 per cent from the previous year. The industry has been growing at a 3-year CAGR of 6.70 per cent in this region. The potential of the Indian market can be gauged from the numbers as the Direct Selling industry in India is close to USD 1.18 billion. Also, as per the report, among the various categories of goods that the industry sells, Wellness occupies the top slot, contributing to 35 per cent of the total sales. This is closely followed by Cosmetics & Personal Care which bring in 35 per cent of the sales, while Household Goods & Durables account for 12 per cent. Other categories such as Clothing & Accessories, Home Care, Utilities, Financial Services and others bring in the rest.

Considering this trend, a lot of companies are now expected to launch their products in the Indian market, especially in the wellness and the cosmetics and personal care categories. Existing companies such QNet have already braced themselves up for the bright future that they see and have already began launching new products. The industry also holds a good position on one more important parameter – the number of entrepreneurs that it has been successful in creating over the years. The total number of independent representatives registered globally in this industry stand at a little above 10 crore as of 2016 while there are more than 40 lakh Indians who have embraced this industry as a source of living. The large number of employable population that India produces calls for huge number of employment generation or creating opportunities for self employment.

The Direct Selling Industry with its capability is a likely solution to this problem. This billion-dollar industry has been growing in India despite various issues ranging from a widely misconstrued business model to lack of a proper regulatory framework. Various multinational direct selling companies that set up shop in India have had their fair share of run-ins with the law.

‘The lack of a proper regulatory authority to oversee the business of direct selling companies in India led to many complaints. Despite some difficulties, we are quite upbeat about India. In fact QNet will be launching new products in the Indian market over the next three to four months. These health and personal care products have done extremely well in global markets. We are launching these products in India with locally sourced ingredients.” said Trevor Kuna, global CEO of QNet elaborating on the future plans of the company.

The Direct Selling Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Consumer Affairs have paved the way for a more structured and disciplined business environment for companies. The government’s move towards implementing the GST Act will further help companies in India. The industry expects clarity in policy for it and with the steps taken by the Ministry to facilitate ‘Ease of doing business’ and MNCs will start putting India on their investment map. QNet has already committed an additional investments of Rs. 300 crs in the next 5 years and is launching 8-10 new products in the current year.

(UNI)