Johnson-Hitachi to halve imports, double exports over next 1 year

The move comes amidst the shrill calls for boycotting Chinese goods following violent skirmishes on the Leh border earlier this month that lead to the killing of 20 Indian soldiers. The government sees the air-conditioning industry as a priority sector for generating jobs along with furniture, leather and footwear. Leading air-conditioner maker Johnson Controls-Hitachi India … Read more

Behind the Jio investment rush

That could either have meant that Jio Platforms would raise about $5.7 billion more, or sell another 10% stake. But as it turns out, the company has ended up selling an additional 12.4% stake already to global investors, and has raised $8 billion more. At the rate Jio Platforms is signing up investments—$1.3 billion per … Read more

Startups help malls, eateries put safety first on reopening

Shopping in your favourite mall may feel different in the post-covid world. On reaching, you could be asked to scan a QR code on an app, verified through a one-time password, allowing the mall to track your movements. An online tracking system could also inform you to leave a particular store depending on the number … Read more

Near-term outlook for FMCG sector ‘extremely uncertain’, says HUL

While describing the current situation as “much more uncertain than normal”, the FMCG major added that it is confident about its ability to manage the immediate crisis, news agency PTI reported. “The situation remains volatile with the trajectory of the virus undetermined, evolving hot spot geographies, the success of containment measures uncertain, the severity and … Read more

Elon Musk says ‘time to break up Amazon,’ escalating feud with Jeff Bezos

“Monopolies are wrong,” Musk tweeted while tagging Bezos, the world’s wealthiest man. Musk’s post came in response to a tweet from a writer who said his book titled “Unreported Truths About COVID-19 and The Lockdown” was being removed from Amazon’s Kindle publishing division for violating unspecified guidelines. Time to break up Amazon. Monopolies are wrong! … Read more

Franchisees of iconic American chains are ‘hemorrhaging’ sales, as operators of IHOP, Pizza Hut, and more file for bankruptcy

Franchisees for Pizza Hut, IHOP, and Subway have already filed for bankruptcy. McDonald’s internally warned franchisees that they may have to downsize or sell locations. “Every franchisee is a small business, and they had to close up, and they’re sucking wind,” said restaurant industry investor Roger Lipton. “They’re hemorrhaging.” Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more … Read more

Smartphone sales in India hits zero in April

The extended lockdown in India has resulted in zero shipments for the smartphone players in India in the month of April as factories are shut and it will take two-four weeks time for the manufacturing units to resume normal operations once lockdown is relaxed. The month of March saw a steep annual decline in smartphone … Read more

JioMart gets a WhatsApp number, goes live

Three days after Reliance Retail signed a commercial pact with Facebook’s WhatsApp to further the reach of its online venture JioMart, the retailer went live in the suburban Mumbai areas of Navi Mumbai, Thane and Kalyan. Reliance’s tie up with WhatsApp means it gets direct access to WhatsApp’s user base of over 400 million. To … Read more

Theobroma sees sales surge fourfold in 4 years

Private equity firm ICICI Venture Funds-backed patisserie Theobroma Foods Pvt. Ltd has set out on an aggressive expansion plan as it looks to multiply its sales fourfold over the next three to four years, two senior executives of the company said in an interview. “We plan to grow our sales to ₹500 crore, the number … Read more