Vinsmera Group, promoted by Kambrath brothers plans to invest Rs 2,000 crore ($233.5 million) over two years to set up gold retail jewellery business in India and UAE.

The company will open 20 jewellery showrooms along with production units across India and the Gulf region over the next two years.

In the first phase, it plans to open showrooms in Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, and Bengaluru, along with a state-of-the-art production facility in Kannur.

In the Gulf region, Vinsmera will open outlets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and a manufacturing unit Sharjah.

Commenting on the expansion, Dinesh Kambrath, co-founder of Vinsmera Group in a statement said, “Reimagining jewellery retail with a focus on craftsmanship, sustainability, and job creation is our priority. Vinsmera is not just a brand; it is a promise of quality and innovation. This large-scale initiative is expected to generate approximately 2,500 job opportunities, with a strong emphasis on women’s participation across jewellery manufacturing value chain.”

Leading Malayalam actor Mohanlal has been onboarded as the brand ambassador for Vinsmera.

Author Credits: Maverick Martins, Fashion Network

Zeiss India has strengthened the optical retail presence of its business partners with the launch of an omnichannel e-commerce platform ‘Specslounge’.

The e-commerce platform will cater to consumer demands both in-store and online providing opticians with an additional sales channel.

Commenting on the launch, Rohan Paul, head of vision care at Zeiss India in a statement said, “We remain committed to enabling our business partners in their pursuit of doing successful business. Integrating digital solutions in overall purchase journey is a step to empower our business partners.”

“The newly launched platform does not change Zeiss’s core business-to-business model. Instead, it acts as a lead generation and sales enhancement tool for opticians, enabling them to expand their reach and attract new customers while maintaining strong relationships with existing ones,” Paul added.

Zeiss India’s e-commerce platform will also provide essential services such as eye tests, frame fittings, and expert consultations.

Author Credits: Maverick Martins, Fashion Network

Exclusive: Australian businesses will now be able to sell their products on the wildly popular Chinese-owned online retailer Temu.

The e-commerce giant, which only launched in Australia in 2023, will offer its platform up for local sellers wanting to launch their business on Temu.

Temu said the launch will allow Australian shoppers to enjoy faster delivery.

“For consumers, the addition of local sellers means they’ll be able to enjoy a broader selection from Australia-based sellers on Temu,” said a Temu spokesperson.

“Local businesses can now tap on Temu as a low-cost channel to connect with millions of shoppers, creating new opportunities to expand and reach new customers.”

As is stands, standard shipping on Temu is free and for most items takes between six to 20 days.

For certain items, Temu does ship locally in Australia and delivery can be as fast as one business day. Providers that ship from local warehouses offer free shipping when certain thresholds are met.

For other items, express shipping costs between $19.95 and $89 as many of the goods sold on Temu are made and shipped from China.

Temu has already rolled out local business partnerships in the UK, US, Germany, Japan and South Korea.

The company claims more than 50 per cent of people selling products on its platform make a sale within 20 days.

Australian sellers wanting to list on Temu can sign up from today.

Temu, which is owned by Chinese parent company PDD Holdings, launched in the US market in 2022 and has become widely known for selling surprisingly cheap products.

It has since been made available to customers in 90 different markets.

Temu landed in Australia in March 2023 and was ranked as the country’s fastest-growing website with an increase of 72 per cent in visits year-on-year.

Author Credits: April Glover, 9 NEWS

Despite the near-term macroeconomic headwinds, the long-term prospects of this market remain strong. India’s e-retail market is expected to scale to $170–$190 billion by 2030, growing at over 18 percent annually, the report said.

Even as India’s e-retail market scaled to $60 billion in 2024, its growth rate slowed to 10-12 percent during the year compared to over 20 percent seen historically due to macroeconomic and consumption stress, according to a report by Flipkart and Bain and Company.

Consumption growth in the country has declined from around 11 percent pre-Covid (2017–19) to approximately eight percent post-Covid (2022–24) as a result of inflationary pressure and stagnating real wages, the report showed.

To be sure, the ongoing slowdown in consumption, which is especially pronounced in urban markets, has led to several consumer-facing businesses reporting muted growth over the past few quarters.

From legacy fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms to new-age sectors like food delivery, the impact of reduced consumers spending has taken a toll on the growth momentum of companies across the board.

Despite the near-term macroeconomic headwinds, India – with almost 280 million online shoppers last year – pipped the US to become the second-largest e-retail market behind China last year. As of 2024, China had 920 million e-retail shoppers while the US had 270 million.

Moreover, the long-term prospects of this market remain strong. India’s e-retail market is expected to scale to $170–$190 billion by 2030, growing at over 18 percent annually, the report added.

While the e-retail market in India is largely dominated by players like Amazon and Flipkart, newer entrants like Meesho, with its tier 2 and beyond focus, have led to growth in the market. Meanwhile, emerging quick commerce challengers like Blinkit, Zepto and Swiggy Instamart have also helped in increasing the overall e-commerce pie.

Growth drivers

Product categories with a high purchase frequency, such as grocery, lifestyle, and general merchandise, are expected to constitute around two-thirds of the e-retail market by 2030, contributing roughly 70 percent of incremental growth.

These categories currently account for 55 percent of e-retail gross merchandise value (GMV), the report showed.

Additionally, further expansion into India’s tier 2 and tier 3 cities is also expected to unlock new growth opportunities. As per the report, e-retail penetration has already expanded from tier 2 cities to tier 3 and smaller cities, with almost 60 percent of new customers since 2020 hailing from tier-3 and smaller cities.

In fact, over 60 percent of new sellers onboarded on e-retail platforms since 2021 were from tier 2 and smaller cities.

The growth potential of these markets is, perhaps, best exemplified by the rapid rise of IPO-bound Meesho, which, through its tier 2+ focus, recently surpassed Amazon in terms of monthly active users (MTUs).

“E-retail spending of shoppers in Tier-2 and smaller cities is broadly at par with that of Metro/Tier-1 cities, with similar or only slightly lower average selling prices across categories,” the Flipkart-Bain report stated.

This growth is driven by faster delivery options, cash-on-delivery availability, and e-retail ads serving as indicators of quality.

Key demographics

The gradual rise of Gen Z (born between 1997–2012), accounting for almost 40 percent of e-retail shoppers, has been the most salient shift in India’s shopper base, the report said.

Gen Z shopper behaviour stands out, with half of them shopping from over five e-retail platforms annually. These shoppers are also more experimental, spending three times more on insurgent fashion brands compared to older cohorts, it stated.

Another notable cohort includes shoppers that are focused on hyper-value commerce (ultra-low price assortment).

In India, hyper-value commerce’s contribution to e-retail has scaled from around five percent of e-retail GMV in 2021 to more than 12 percent in 2024. These platforms have gained strong traction among lower-middle income consumers, particularly in Tier-2 or smaller cities, by focusing on an affordable product assortment.

As per the report, these differences in purchase behaviour indicate massive opportunity for e-retailers going forward.

Author Credits: Aryaman Gupta, Money Control

Quick commerce business Zepto is holding talks to undertake a secondary share sale of up to $250 million as it aims to increase its number of Indian investors on the road to launching its initial public offering.

Businesses which are holding talks with Zepto over the possibility of acquiring shares include the private equity arms of Edelweiss Financial Services Limited and Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited, anonymous sources told Bloomberg. Zepto would not raise any additional capital as part of the potential share sale and would enable employees and a number of existing investors to sell shares in the business for cash, ET Bureau reported.

The Bengaluru based business has previously announced plans to go public later in the year. The secondary share sale is expected to be carried out with a valuation of the business of $5 billion, a similar level to its valuation for its funding round held in late 2024, according to Bloomberg’s sources.

Zepto is keen to increase its portion of Indian investors in its business in the lead up to its IPO as they currently account for only approximately 33% of its total investors. Indian IPOs reached a record of $18.4 billion in deal volume in 2021, according to Dealogic, and the country has become one of the world’s largest global equity capital markets issuance hubs, Ion Group reported.

Entrepreneurs Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra launched Zepto in 2021. The business counts more than 250 dark stores in 10 metropolitan centres in India and retails a multi-brand range of products.

Author Credits: Isabelle Crossley, Fashion Network

Esyms, a leading online pharmacy and health solutions provider, is collaborating with DHL eCommerce, a domestic parcel delivery service provider, to transform how medication is dispersed from hospitals and clinics to patients in Malaysia. Esyms will leverage DHL eCommerce’s expertise in parcel delivery and returns logistics. Esyms can better support partner hospitals and clinics in ensuring their patients receive their medications efficiently and safely at their convenience.

Esyms is partnering with DHL eCommerce to improve medication delivery through its AllMeds application. The AllMeds system helps hospitals and clinics streamline pharmacy workflows, boost patient engagement, and reduce congestion at pharmacy counters. Through the AllMeds app, patients can upload prescriptions, make secure payments, receive notifications, and track their orders delivered by DHL eCommerce.

Supporting the Malaysian Government’s vision to innovate medicine distribution

This initiative aligns with the Malaysian government’s commitment to advancing public healthcare services through digital innovation and enhanced distribution systems. It also reflects DHL eCommerce’s aim to harness its strengths to boost growth in life sciences & healthcare, which is highlighted as one of DHL Group’s growth initiatives of Strategy 2030.

Esyms will utilize DHL eCommerce’s expedited lane to provide timely and reliable delivery of medicine to the patients’ address. This means time-sensitive deliveries such as medicine are prioritized, handled and transported via DHL eCommerce’s expedited lane service.

Saurabh Kumar, Managing Director of DHL eCommerce Malaysia, stated, “The life sciences and healthcare sector demands very specialized logistics solutions, innovation and new ideas to improve patient outcomes and deliver next-level healthcare. DHL eCommerce is proud to partner with Esyms Group and offer our expertise in first and last-mile delivery to help address the persistent challenge of long waiting times for medication collection. Equally, we are confident that this partnership will deliver a positive impact to the healthcare sector and inspire even more collaboration to drive change.”

Lam Wee Yong, CEO of Esyms, added, “By securing a government project involving public healthcare facilities, Esyms continues to drive innovation in pharmacy care through strategic partnerships that address the actual needs of customers and healthcare facilities. AllMeds is a value-added service that complements existing practices in hospital, empowering pharmacies to deliver more efficient and accessible care, while enhancing patient outcomes, The collaboration with DHL Ecommerce can significantly enhance the last mile delivery process bringing a much-needed difference to the healthcare sector.”

A milestone for enhanced healthcare

The Esyms-DHL partnership represents a significant milestone in Malaysia’s journey toward a more connected and efficient healthcare system. It showcases the power of cross-industry collaboration, uniting technology and logistics to address real-world challenges and improve the quality of life for patients nationwide.

Author Credits: Media Out Reach Newswire

South African retail giant Pepkor (PPHJ.J) has announced a strategic expansion into the adult fashion market with the acquisition of Legit, Swagga, Style, and homeware brand Boardmans from privately owned retail group Retailability. This move strengthens Pepkor’s footprint in the adult clothing sector while complementing its already dominant presence in children’s apparel and school uniforms through its PEP and Ackermans brands.

In a statement on Tuesday, Pepkor confirmed that the transaction’s total purchase consideration will amount to less than 2% of its market capitalisation, subject to net working capital adjustments. The deal will be settled in cash.

Based on LSEG data, Pepkor’s market capitalisation stood at 97 billion rand ($5 billion) as of Monday’s close, meaning the acquisition is valued at approximately 1.94 billion rand ($107 million).

The newly acquired businesses operate a total of 462 stores across South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, and Eswatini. These stores will now be integrated into Pepkor’s Speciality business unit, which already operates 941 stores across the same markets.

“The proposed transaction will add significant scale to Pepkor Speciality and enhance its adultwear offerings, particularly in womenswear through the Legit brand,” the company stated.

Over the past year, Pepkor has been actively growing its adult clothing category. The company recently acquired Choice Clothing and launched Ayana, a dedicated womenswear brand. These moves signal a clear strategy to broaden its presence in the adult fashion segment, a shift from its traditional focus on children’s apparel.

Retailability, known for its affordable fashion and lifestyle products, previously made headlines in 2020 when it acquired struggling department store chain Edgars from Edcon, which had entered bankruptcy protection.

Despite selling Legit, Swagga, Style, and Boardmans, Retailability will continue to operate key brands such as Edgars, Edgars Beauty, Red Square, Kelso, and Keedo, ensuring its presence in the Southern African retail space remains strong.

With this latest acquisition, Pepkor solidifies its standing as a retail powerhouse, diversifying its portfolio and increasing its influence in the adult fashion sector across Southern Africa.

Author Credits: MSN

Clothing retailer Jeanswest has collapsed, with more than 90 stores set to close within months and hundreds of employees set to lose their jobs.

The company confirmed the news on Wednesday, with administrators citing increasingly tough trading conditions in the Australian retail sector.

Jeanswest entered administration in January 2020, but was rescued by Hong Kong business Harbour Guidance.

Administrators from Pitcher Partners said the decision to close the brand came after five years of struggling to revive the company, with shoppers spending less due to the higher cost of living.

“The owners have done everything they can to keep Jeanswest going,” administrator Lindsay Bainbridge said in a statement.

“They deeply regret the impact of store closures on their team members and their customers, and we will be working now with teams across the country.”

All stock at Jeanswest stores is expected to go on sale shortly, Mr Bainbridge said, with the retailer currently promoting a mid-season sale.

Jeanswest operates more than 90 stores around the country and employs more than 600 workers.

Its administrators are hoping to keep the brand going in some capacity online, which could save some of those 600 jobs.

However, many of those people work in the more than 90 stores set to close.

“This is a hard day for hundreds of Jeanswest team members and we will be working directly with the team members to provide clarity and information about the next steps,” Mr Bainbridge said.

Jeanswest has several stores in New Zealand too, which administrators say are not closing.

Founded in Australia, Jeanswest opened its first retail store in Perth in 1972, before expanding to the east coast during the 1980s.

It was purchased by Hong Kong firm Glorious Sun in 1994, before the business was sold to private company Howsea Limited in 2017.

Are you a Jeanswest employee? Contact our journalists at Ainsworth.Kate@abc.net.au and Terzon.Emilia@abc.net.au.
Retail insolvencies see thousands lose their jobs in 2025

Jeanswest’s collapse follows the closure of retail group Mosaic, which owns Australian chains including Rivers, Noni B and Katies.

Mosaic collapsed last year with 250 people in head office and 2,500 workers across 651 stores in Australia and New Zealand. It owed creditors almost $250 million.

Mosaic’s workers alone are owed $21 million in entitlements like pay and annual leave out of that collapse, the federal government’s department of employment confirmed to ABC News this month.

They are also owed $870,000 in superannuation.

Workers from the Mosaic collapse have already been offered assistance under the federal government’s scheme to pay out workers missing entitlements.

ABC News has contacted the federal government about whether it was across how many workers might be owed money out of the Jeanswest collapse, and if they would be offered fast-tracked assistance too.

Jeanswest’s administrators are still working through entitlements that could be owed, ABC News was told.

Author Credits: Kate Ainsworth and Emilia Terzon
ABC News

Saudi Arabia – Following the opening of new stores in the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah, Lulu has opened its latest hypermarket in Al Rusayfah, located on Abdullah Areef St., Al Rusayfah District in Makkah. This strategic expansion aligns with Lulu’s commitment to providing world-class shopping experiences to residents and visitors while supporting the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 initiative.

Abdullah Hanif, Secretary General of the Makkah Chamber along with Fahd Abdulrahman Al-Mutaz, Mayor of Rusayfah, officially inaugurated the new store in the presence of Ashraf Ali M.A., Executive Director of Lulu Group, along with Shehim Mohammed, Director of Lulu KSA, and other distinguished dignitaries.

The new Lulu store, which spans a total built-up area of around 200,000 square feet, is designed to offer a seamless and modern shopping experience, catering to the diverse needs of customers with a well-curated selection of daily essentials, fresh food, and departmental offerings, similar to other Lulu stores in Makkah and Madinah. The new store boasts a spacious 72-square-meter exclusive dining area, offering a comfortable space for shoppers.

On this occasion, Ashraf Ali Musliyam, Executive Director of Lulu, expressed his profound joy at expanding Lulu’s footprint in the Holy Cities. “We continue to expand regionally in Saudi Arabia and the new store in Al Rusayfah generates more employment opportunities and strengthens the local economy. We will open more than 45 new stores across the GCC within three years,” he added. New projects also includes three in the holy city of Madinah amongst others.

“We are undergoing a digital transformation to enhance the customer experience both online and in-store,” Ashraf Ali added.

The new store in Al Rusayfa will feature a well-designed layout inspired by the city’s cultural and architectural essence. Customers will enjoy a spacious and easily navigable shopping environment, ensuring convenience and comfort. Apart from the department stores, Lulu’s iconic value-added shop, LOT, will also be opened shortly.

Rafeek Mohammed Ali, Business Development Director of Lulu KSA, Noushad M.A, Regional Director of Lulu KSA Western Region, and other senior officials were also present.

Author Credits: Saudi Gazette
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