Selling a new image

ZOOMING IN

Is Pantaloon aiming for a makeover and reaching out to younger, hipper clients? The fast-growing department store has just struck a deal with Italian fashion label UMM (originally Underground Music Movement).

"We believe music is a part of urban style," says Jaydeep Shetty, chief, new business life style retailing, Pantaloon Retail, "and a music and fashion combo can be a potent mix for people to make style statements."

But it wasn't easy convincing UMM, which began in 1982 as a music label in Italy. In the '90s, as piracy hit the music industry, UMM found that its merchandising arm was doing better business and its T-shirts, jeans and other clothing became a huge hit.

The brand, which has partnered the hippest nightclubs like the Ministry of Sound in London and Pasha in Ibiza, clocks in revenues of 40 million euros per annum of which half comes from Italy itself. The company was sceptical about selling in India.

"But then UMM has been getting its fabrics outsourced from Mumbai-based R D International, who are suppliers to Pantaloon too," says marketing director Giacomo Guerriero, "and when we saw Pantaloon's marketing strategy, we were convinced."

The brand hopes to sell 'streetgear' worth about Rs 10 crore in the first year itself, through the 30 Pantaloon stores across the country. And to get to that number, UMM hopes to get music channel VJs to wear its clothing, and it will even tie up with local DJs and sponsor musical evenings.

UMM has a tie-up with MTV in Europe and the United States and hopes to extend that to Asia as well. UMMs T-shirts (starting at Rs 345), jeans (starting at Rs 925) and cargo pants (starting at Rs 700) hope to take on mid-level international brands like Benetton and Levis.

Paperless consortium

Is it possible to have a 'paperless' government office or at least one with a lot less paper? It sounds like an unlikely proposition or even a contradiction in terms.

But that's the job for which four companies "" Newgen Software Technologies, Adobe Systems India, Hyderabad-based DSR Solutions and IBM India (Rational Software Group) "" have been hired.

The four will work with the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) to develop and implement a product to carry forward the government's 'less paper office' initiative.

Newgen will provide the workflow and document management solutions, IBM will provide the technology to make the development of the solution robust in design and architecture "" and to make it consistent with the other applications. Adobe's pdf format will be the standard used for creating, viewing and archiving files.

The reduction of paperwork and switching over to e-governance is a priority item on the agenda for government reforms. The pilot for the mammoth project will cost Rs 1 crore and will probably take another six months to complete.

It's currently being worked upon at the project office out of Newgen's Okhla facility in Delhi. Newgen, managing director, Diwakar Nigam says that implementing the project in one government department could cost around Rs 450 crore.

The four companies have a formal memorandum of understanding, under which the individual companies have agreed to provide platforms, products and expert human resources, along with investment in the form of a subsidised product and service costs to make it possible to build and sustain the solution.

Off screen debut

It's a big jump from electronics to baby products. But that's the leap being planned by R P Electronics (RPE) the promoters of the Rs 1,000 crore Salora Group. RPE has just tied up with the $167 million US-based company Luv n' Care to distribute the Nuby range of infant care products.

Why are they taking the plunge into this entirely new field? The company feels there's a gap in the market that's waiting to be filled. "There's a vacuum in the Rs 500 crore child care segment which is highly unorganised. The Nuby range will fill up the demand and supply gap with it features," says Ashok Chowdhary, chief executive, FMCG division, R P Electronics.

For a start RPE will be distributing the baby feeding and teething products and it's hoping to touch a turnover of Rs 25 crore to Rs 30 crore in the next three years. RPE initially plans to sell the products through chemists and toy stores in the metros and mini metros. The Luv n'Care products will be sold under the brand name Purple Turtle.

Once the distribution network has been set up, Luv n' Care will also start manufacturing in India in association with RPE.

The Indian company is also the exclusive distributor for Nippo batteries in North, East and South India. It has a network of 2,000 distributors who cater to 425,000 retail outlets. Chowdhary plans to use part of this network to promote Purple Turtle.

Depending upon the success of the current tie-up, RPE plans to introduce more brands under Purple Turtle in different categories including baby care, toiletries, child safety products, educational and fun toys. For RPE it could be a giant transition from the small screen to the cradle.

Luv n' Care is the largest manufacturer of infant products in the US and its products are sold in over 80 countries. It has five ranges of which the Nuby range (baby feeding and teething products) will be distributed by RPE in India.