Telr is an award-winning payment gateway, born and raised in the UAE. The company offers secure payment solutions to businesses in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Bahrain, maintaining the highest level of security. In this interview, Esraa provides a detailed overview of the solutions offered by Telr and discusses why the UAE remains their primary market.
Hampshire, UK – A new study from Juniper Research, the foremost experts in telecoms markets, has found that the retail and eCommerce sectors will generate in excess of $10bn in Communications-Platform-as-a-Service (CPaaS) revenue by 2029.
This is a substantial growth, from $5.8 billion in 2024, and will be driven by an increased demand for marketing use cases, such as promotional campaigns and loyalty schemes, over mobile messaging channels.
To capitalise on this growth, Juniper Research urges CPaaS vendors to develop capabilities that cater to the rich media campaign orchestration, specifically for retailers. The research identified the integration of tools, including AI agents and payment capabilities, as key to meeting the evolving requirements of marketing use cases.
An extract from the report, Global CPaaS Market 2025-2029, is available as a free download.
CPaaS platforms must evolve from being just messaging infrastructure providers, to becoming full-service customer interaction platforms; primarily to benefit from the growth attributable to the retail vertical. To achieve this, Juniper Research believes that platforms must implement CPaaS technologies under a single platform which enables smaller retailers to scale mobile marketing campaigns as they grow.
Research co-author Sam Barker remarked: “As CPaaS platforms pivot to customer interaction solutions, the most successful vendors will be those that provide solutions that enable more personalised interactive experiences.”
Additionally, Juniper Research predicts that retailers will be the first to migrate their outbound messaging traffic from SMS to rich media channels such as RCS. To capitalise on this shift, CPaaS providers must begin simplifying platform onboarding processes and embedding AI-based automation tools, to attract retailers to their solutions.
The new research suite offers the most comprehensive assessment of the CPaaS market to date, including insightful market analysis and in-depth forecasts for over 60 countries. The dataset contains over 260,000 market statistics within a five-year period. It includes a ‘Competitor Leaderboard’ and an examination of current and future market opportunities.
Juniper Research has, for two decades, provided market intelligence and advisory services to the global telecommunications sector, and is retained by many of the world’s leading network operators and communications platforms.
News Credits- Technology Reseller News
Spanning over one million square feet, South City Mall features a vast array of international and Indian brands and generates an average annual turnover of over Rs 1,800 crore.
Global private equity firm Blackstone, in one of its marquee asset deals, has acquired South City Mall in Kolkata for a transaction value of Rs 3,250 crore, according to a statement on June 17.
The deal was facilitated by real estate consultancy firm ANAROCK.
Asheesh Mohta, Head of Real Estate Acquisitions – India, Blackstone said that South City Mall is the definitive destination in Kolkata for shopping, dining, leisure, and entertainment.
“We are thrilled to strengthen our presence in India and invest in this iconic asset. We are committed to continuing South City Group’s wonderful work and positioning South City Mall for long-term success, benefiting from our scale, operational expertise, and deep experiences in the retail sector, particularly in India where we own one of the largest retail portfolios,” he said in a statement on June 17.
Spanning over one million square feet, South City Mall features a vast array of international and Indian brands and generates an average annual turnover of over Rs 1,800 crore. The mall houses over 150 stores and has multi-storeyed parking for over 1,250 cars.
US-based Blackstone is the largest owner of commercial and retail real estate in India. As of December 31, 2024, Blackstone had over $1.1 trillion assets under management.
Blackstone has been investing in India since 2006 and has pumped in more than $50 billion across sectors ranging from IT services and asset & wealth management to auto components and online learning.
Commenting on the deal, Soumendu Chatterjee, Regional Director – Land, ANAROCK Group, said that ANAROCK was the sole transaction advisor for the iconic South City Mall.
“This landmark transaction once again showcases ANAROCK’s ability to facilitate large-scale, complex deals and commitment to delivering comprehensive real estate advisory services for marquee assets. The mall has a high footfall – daily visitors range between 55,000 and 60,000 surging to 75,000– 200,000 during weekends and festive seasons,” he said.
South City Mall was developed by a consortium of real estate players in the region and launched in January 2008.
Sushil Mohta, Chairman of Merlin Group and Director of South City Projects, said that South City Mall is indeed a prime retail asset in one of the most sought-after areas in South Kolkata.
“We applaud Blackstone on this acquisition. The mall boasts numerous premium retail and lifestyle brands including Zara, Tommy Hilfiger, Levi’s, Only, Armani, Calvin Klein, The Collective, United Colours of Benetton, Adidas, PUMA, Fab India, among others,” he said.
Author Credits- Ashish Mishra
Money control
Omnichannel personal care retailer Honasa Consumer appointed Yatish Bhargava as chief business officer with effect from Tuesday. In his new role, Bhargava will spearhead business operations across brands and channels to scale growth across platforms.
The company, which owns brands like Mamaearth and Derma Co., stated that Bhargava’s appointment is intended to strengthen its omnichannel strategy. He has 17 years of experience under his belt across profit and loss management, leading large-scale teams across general trade, modern trade, and ecommerce.
Prior to joining Honasa, Bhargava held key leadership roles at Indian ecommerce major Flipkart and FMCG giant Hindustan Unilever. He has led category transformation, built scalable go-to-market strategies, and driven sustained growth across diverse consumer businesses. He holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow.
“Yatish brings a rare blend of strategic thinking and executional depth that aligns with our ambition to not just grow, but to lead the next chapter of beauty and personal care in India,” said Varun Alagh, cofounder and CEO at Honasa Consumer.
“I look forward to contributing to the next phase of growth by bringing together strong execution, sharper business levers, and a deep connection with what consumers truly value, alongside an excellent team,” Bhargava said on his appointment.
Honasa reported a 13% year-on-year (YoY) rise in operating revenue to Rs 533 crore for the March quarter. The growth—in a quarter when most fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) companies have reported single-digit expansion of their topline—came on the back of recovery from the negative impact of its offline restructuring, which began in the July-September 2024 period.
The company reported a 16% drop in net profit at Rs 25 crore during the period, down from Rs 30 crore in January-March 2024.
The Honasa Consumer share closed 1.76% lower at Rs 305 per share on BSE, compared to a 0.26% drop in the benchmark Sensex.
News Credits- msn
Savoye provides technology, innovation, and smart solutions, specializing in warehouse automation solutions and supply chain execution software. The company has been operating for about 40 years and has had a presence in the Middle East for the past 4 years. Alain discusses what brought Savoye to Dubai.
INCREFF is a retail technology company that primarily helps brands and retailers optimize their inventory challenges. With origins in the fashion and e-commerce space, the company has worked with over 700 brands across several countries. Umesh discusses the new categories INCREFF is exploring and explains why the company is looking to expand into the Middle Eastern market. He also shares what sets INCREFF apart in warehouse management and inventory optimization compared to other players in the industry.
BEYCOM operates in two main lines of business. The company offers 22 specialized services tailored exclusively for e-commerce brands and has worked with some of the largest e-commerce retailers in the Middle East, particularly in Dubai, Beirut, and Saudi Arabia. In addition, BEYCOM runs the largest e-commerce academy in the Middle East, with over 6,000 students enrolled. Jad explains what the academy teaches and shares the inspiration behind starting it. He also delivers an important message: Start your e-commerce business in the UAE. Jad highlights why the UAE is the ideal place to launch an e-commerce venture.
Centric Software provides best-in-class solution, primarily for the fashion, retail, manufacturing and also retailers. They offer end-to-end solutions, from product concept to shelves. Sidi discusses what led Centric Software to enter the Middle Eastern market. He also talks about the response Centric Software has received in the region and how Seamless digital commerce has helped them connect with future prospects.
Payomatix is a global fintech company with offices in Dubai, India, and Canada. The company is built on three core values: technology, innovation, and strategy. Its mission is to revolutionize online payment infrastructure through advanced technology and a customer-centric approach. Payomatix offers secure payment processing, UPI integration, payment orchestration, and white-label solutions tailored to a wide range of industries. Harshal discusses why Payomatix has chosen the Middle East as the next market for its expansion plans.
Last month, the FDA suspended the food business license of this warehouse of Kiranakart Technologies Pvt Ltd after serious hygiene violations were allegedly found during the inspection
Following a raid at the Dharavi, Mumbai outlet of Kiranakart Technologies Pvt Ltd, the parent company of the popular grocery delivery platform Zepto, the Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is now facing a new challenge — locating the hidden “dark stores” of quick commerce companies across the state.
Last month, the FDA suspended the food business license of this warehouse of Kiranakart Technologies Pvt Ltd after serious hygiene violations were allegedly found during the inspection.
Following this, the state government earlier this month, ordered strict inspections of all facilities operated by fast-delivery services like Zepto, Blinkit, and Instamart, amongst others. However, FDA officials are unable to track these warehouses, storage and packaging centres as they are operating with different names.
The FDA Pune region office, which includes Pune Solapur, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur has over one lakh registered food business operators (FBO) and over 30,000 licensed FBOs. After the order, the FDA inspected over ten dark stores associated with this platform. Besides, a stop business notice was issued to a dark store in Baner-Balewadi associated with quick grocery delivery service Blinkit, said the officials.
Suresh Annapure, joint commissioner, FDA, Pune region, said, “We have been unable to get the details of the dark stores, warehouses and storage centres associated with these platforms. These dark stores are linked to the platform, are outsourced by these platforms and are registered under different names. Besides, we don’t know how many of them are operating sans licences.”
According to FDA officials, the head offices of these quick commerce companies are located in cities like Delhi, Mumbai among other cities. The FDA officials are unable to get the contact details of the head office and the concerned people. Due to this, food authorities are collecting information and even conducting random inspections across the Pune region, said the officials.
The dark stores are franchises given by these quick commerce companies. These companies are supposed to give the FDA the information about their franchise. However, it is not covered under the law.
Annapure said, “Once we get the contact details, we will send a letter to these companies to share details of their dark stores. This will help us to conduct the inspection across the region and make sure they follow the food safety and hygiene norms. The drive will help the public at large as the dark stores will focus on improving the food safety handling and storage practices.”
After the Zepto incident, the FDA has increased its focus on quick commerce services, which have become extremely popular in recent years for delivering groceries and food items in 10–15 minutes. The state government has asked the FDA to ensure that all such facilities follow proper hygiene and safety rules, said the officials.
Author Credits- Vicky Pathare
Hindustan Times
