All stories by T E Narasimhan
Textile hub Tirupur in trouble as world brands cut down export orders
Rediff.com5 Jan 2020MotherCare, the baby and maternity clothes retailer that annually sourced garments worth Rs 100 crore from a single exporter in Tirupur, filed for bankruptcy in the UK and will close all its 79 shops in that country. It was the latest world-famous brand to pull down Tirupur's fortunes.
Chinese investors are suddenly in love with Indian startups
Rediff.com2 Jan 2020Not just from the likes of Alibaba and Didi Chuxing, Indian startups saw a surge in Chinese funding from financial investors in 2019. This is a seven-fold jump from $459 million in 2016.
Isro puts Chandrayaan-2 setback behind it
Rediff.com27 Dec 2019The year ended with the launch of the PSLV's 50th mission.
Tamil Nadu polls: A test for AIADMK, DMK
Rediff.com24 Dec 2019The new entrants in Tamil Nadu politics, actor-turned-politicians Rajinikanth and Kamal Haasan, have decided to stay away from the elections, reports T E Narasimhan.
BS-VI effect: Auto firms see PV sales rising in December
Rediff.com23 Dec 2019A nationwide and compulsory switch to BS-VI is due from April 1, 2020. Amid increase in input and other costs, companies had decided to increase the price of their vehicles from January 2020. This is expected to push sales of passenger vehicles by 2 to 4 per cent in December; reportedly, bookings are in that range.
M&M succession plan: Change of role for Anand Mahindra
Rediff.com21 Dec 2019Mahindra will serve as a mentor and sounding board for the managing director on issues to be presented to the board, especially in the areas of strategic planning, risk mitigation and external interface. In addition, he will be available to provide feedback and counsel to the managing director on key issues facing the enterprise.
Dabangg Effect: Pepsi puts the fizz back in Brand Salman
Rediff.com18 Dec 2019Pepsi is betting on Dabangg 3's box office success.
Tamil Nadu rakes in Rs 19,083 cr investment in 10 months
Rediff.com16 Dec 2019At a time when investors are taking a "wait and watch" approach on fresh investment, Tamil Nadu in the past 10 months has signed 63 MoUs, enabling investment worth Rs 19,083 crore. After Palaniswami took over as chief minister in February 2017, cumulative FDI rose by Rs 46,427 crore from Rs 133 trillion (April 2000 to March 2017) to Rs 180 trillion by June this year. Thanks to the Tamil Nadu Business Facilitation Act, 2018, and the single window for applying and getting clearance for doing business, the ease of business issue has been addressed.
PSA's Citroen announces grand India plans with premium SUV Aircross
Rediff.com16 Dec 2019Europe's leading car maker, Groupe PSA, officially announced its re-entry in India this April with the Citroen brand. Citroen C5 Aircross SUV will challenge the likes of Mahindra XUV500, Tata Harrier, Hyundai Tuscon, Jeep Compass and the upcoming MG Hector. The C5 Aircross will be the first of several differentiated products from the company's vehicle manufacturing unit in Tiruvallur, Tamil Nadu.
Coffee prices up 10.1%; trend likely to continue
Rediff.com11 Dec 2019Global exports of coffee in October 2019 fell by 13.4 per cent, to 8.91 million bags, compared to the same month in the previous year. A mix of factors, including unfavourable weather patterns and prolonged low international prices, have contributed to a decline in shipments across all regions. The daily price of the ICO composite rose from $102.74 cents/lb at the beginning of November to a high of $111.86 cents/lb on November 25, 2019, before closing the month at $111.77 cents/lb.
Corporate, PE investments in EV start-ups grow 170%
Rediff.com4 Dec 2019The $306-million investment in Ola Electric Mobility by SoftBank Corp, Arun Sarin Family, Ratan Tata and Matrix has been the biggest funding in this space in value terms this year.
CV sales drop by over 17% in Nov on slowdown woes
Rediff.com3 Dec 2019Companies expect recovery in second half of fiscal as BS VI approaches, claim banks and NBFCs showing greater interest in financing.
Natural calamities wreak havoc on spices and coffee plantations
Rediff.com22 Nov 2019Karnataka suffered a crop loss in around 97,365 hectares out of the total bearing area of 2,26,244 hectares of coffee and spices plantations.
Rural distress hits moped sales
Rediff.com19 Nov 2019TVS Motor Company, the only company in India to manufacture mopeds, said domestic sales dropped by 25.58% in April-Oct and exports fell by nearly 40%.
Datsun, Sunny to drive exports for Renault-Nissan's Chennai plant
Rediff.com11 Nov 2019The automaker said that production at the Renault Nissan Alliance Plant, where Nissan, Renault and Datsun brands are manufactured, had gone up by 15 per cent and was expected to increase further on the back of increasing export orders.
How Sugar Free plans to win the twin battle of misinformation and competition
Rediff.com27 Oct 2019To become part of the consumer's monthly shopping cart, Sugar Free has launched new formats and variants and waged war against online venom.
Your Apple iPhone XR is now 'Made in Chennai'
Rediff.com23 Oct 2019The development comes at a time when growing tension in US-China trade ties is forcing companies to explore alternative manufacturing sites in order to derisk operations.
India's automakers hit the fast lane in overseas markets
Rediff.com10 Oct 2019Even as domestic passenger car sales declined 29.4 per cent between April and August this year, exports grew 6.5 per cent, partially cushioning the blow from slowing sales.
Green firecracker norms may rob Sivakasi's sparkle
Rediff.com9 Oct 2019Some experts opine that green crackers are yet not practical and question government's move to promote them.