Road show by Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation India along with its partners Intel, AMD, EMC, Nortel, Wipro, Kingston and Sonata recently organised a customer event in Kolkata to educate people about the 2007 Microsoft Office system, Windows Vista and Exchange Server 2007.

This was part of the seven-city road show being conducted by the companies. The other cities covered include Delhi, Hyderbad, Pune and Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai.

Company officials said, "The launch of Office 2007, Windows Vista and Exchange Server 2007 is the most significant launch in the company's history." Customer adoption has crossed over 2,00,000 for Windows Vista and 8,85,000 for 2007 Microsoft Office System licences across India in a span of just over a month, since the company made the products available for large businesses, a release from Microsoft said.

Future Group associates with Sachin Tendulkar
Retail major Future Group and education and health services company Manipal Group have partnered with cricketer Sachin Tendulkar to launch a new range of products.

The new product lines, expected to be launched just before the World Cup, include health supplements, sports goods, fitness equipment and lifestyle accessories and would be marketed under the brand names S Drive and Sach. They would be retailed across all Future Group formats such as Big Bazaar, Central, Planet Sports and Manipal Cure and Care.

Kishore Biyani, CEO, Future Group, said "Through this association with Sachin, we believe these brands will gain mass acceptance," he said.

Sachin Tendulkar said he shared common core values of being a `proud Indian' with the Future Group and Manipal Group.

Dabur to regionalise brands
To strengthen its presence in the southern market, FMCG company Dabur India is all set to localise some of its products through regional names and advertising campaigns.

The company said that though companies treat India as one big market, the reality is that the country is more like the European Union — a mix of different cultures, languages and markets. With this initiative of, Dabur India is taking advantage of this diversity to create and adapt brand mixes for the South Indian market.

The company is going the whole hog from re-christening its brands in local languages like Tamil to creating special products with a distinct local flavour and even roping in local celebrities as brand ambassadors. The idea being to make the brands more easily understood to the Tamil-speaking populace.

Amongst products that have been re-christened is Dabur Lal Dant Manjan, while Dabur Amla is being considered for a possible change in image. Recognising the South Indian consumer's belief on natural products, the company also recently launched Dabur Herbal toothpaste in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, along with an ayurvedic product called Dabur Shwaasamrit in Karnataka.

with this initiative, Dabur India has seen a near 19 per cent growth in sales from the southern market during the third quarter ended December 31, 2006, as against 5.5 per cent in the first half of the fiscal.

LG launches ultra slim TV
LG Electronics has launched its ultra-slim television in the Indian market. The sets are expected to affect colour TV sales to the tune of 4 per cent, and are being imported from Korea.

Buffalo takes to channel route
Japanese storage vendor Buffalo Inc has launched a series of initiatives to drive channel sales and expand its service network in the country.

The company has also introduced storage (NAS) products in the country. The company recently organized a series of channel meets in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chandigarh to discuss new initiatives, plans and strategies.

The meet was organised in collaboration with Advent InfoTech, Buffalo's national distributor in India, and attracted over 250 representatives from different parts of the country.

ITC to retail veggies, fruits through pushcarts
ITC is planning to take its retail business to the doorsteps of customers taking a cue from the traditional and popular pushcart mode of selling vegetables.

The company, which is planning to set up Choupal Fresh outlets across the country, has approached the Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad, seeking permission for running 300 pushcarts in Hyderabad and Secunderabad.

South Indian Bank reveals new logo
South Indian Bank has unveiled a new corporate logo, the symbol of two hands strongly clasping a pillar which is the South Indian Bank.

According to Dr V A Joseph, chairman of the bank, the hands depicted in the logo represented the loyal customers on top and the bank employees below. He said the new logo of the bank projects the significance of this transformation to the public around the world.

The visual identity of the bank consists of cardinal red and white colours. He said the red colour represents energy, creativity as well as joy and warmth. By embracing this colour for its new logo, the bank is giving its customers the connotation of the continuing growth of ideas and concepts of warm relationship.

The logo is also a combination of forms that suggest a stylised letter `S.' The letter `S' here represents service, strength, smartness, support and safety, a press release from the bank said.

Raymond Apparels launches new brand
Raymond Apparels has launched a new brand of men's apparel, Notting Hill, marking its entry into the Rs5,300-crore-strong popular price segment of ready-to-wear clothing in India. The new brand will first be launched in Pune, followed by the rest of Maharashtra, and will be available through 400 outlets, including 150 exclusive stores, across the country by the end of the year.

Lacoste launches footwear range
Premium French lifestyle brand Lacoste has forayed into the footwear market in India, with the launch of its Spring/Summer 2007 collection.

"Changes in the attitude of the Indian consumer towards stylish and trendy footwear, and a shift from using sports shoes on casual occasions to specific event-oriented footwear, along with favourable response to our apparel line has encouraged us to launch the complete range of footwear for men and women. Our footwear range will offer more than 100 styles and designs, said Vikas Gupta, president and CEO, Lacoste India.

The range is targeted primarily at the young adults in India and comprises three sub collections - Club, Sport and Sportswear. The range is priced between Rs2,100 and Rs15,000 depending on the sub category.

The company plans to promote its footwear through catalogues specifically designed for customers and through the print media apart from other means. The company also plans to open around five to ten outlets, over 3,500 sq ft each, across India in the next two years.

Cadila to set up `Sugar Free' boutiques
Cadila Healthcare is readying for a national launch of `Sugar Free' boutiques. The first such boutique will be set up in Kolkata within the next six months while others will come up in 20 cities and towns across the country in the next 2-3 years.

The size of the Indian market for low-calorie sweeteners has been pegged at Rs 100 crore at the MRP level. Cadila accounts for nearly 75 per cent of the Indian market for low-calorie sweeteners.

The company said the proposed Sugar Free boutique in Kolkata would be owned by the company, the rest would be rolled out in franchisee mode.

Samsonite to launch Black Label shoes in India
Luggage specialist Samsonite is planning to introduce its Black Label range of premium category shoes and introduce a new range of designer bags under the Ladies Special brand. The price range for the shoes would start at about Rs12,000.

The company is also considering stepping up its outsourcing partnerships in India for shoes and leather.

The shoes would be launched by mid 2007 and the company would leverage its our retail presence in India for marketing these shoes.

Globally Samsonite has two shoe brands - Black Label and Samsonite with the latter representing the middle-end category of shoes while Black Label is the premium end brand. Samsonite is marketed in Europe, Japan and Korea. The company manufactures its shoes in Europe.

HLL to introduce the Dove hair care range
Hindustan Lever is launching its flagship beauty brand Dove's, hair care range in India. Currently, Dove's hair care products are available in India only through third party imports.

Unilever now plans market the new Dove shampoos and conditioners through the home and personal care (HPC) division of HLL.

HLL would roll out three variants of the shampoo and conditioner combo: essential care, daily care and moisture therapy. Based on the performance of these three variants, the company will unveil other products from Unilever's international Dove portfolio — which includes hair gel, cream and advanced care.

Currently, the company's Dove portfolio in India consists of beauty bars (soap) and cream.

Internationally, Dove has a host of products across the hair, face and skin categories.