Swiggy Unveils the Swiggy Packaging Assist
Swiggy, online ordering food platform has launched Swiggy Packaging Assist. This is a marketplace that will help restaurant partners to access a variety of packing solutions that suit their menu needs at the right price. Packaging materials for food delivery come with high costs, limited availability, and quality. After a thorough market scan for effective and pocket-friendly options, the Swiggy marketplace has listed 30 products that are eco-friendly and food-grade-certified. Presently Packaging Assist has been rolled out to partners in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Pune and will make it accessible to the rest of the cities within the next three months.
The packaging solutions are made with materials such as paper and aluminum that can be completely recycled and offer spill-free delivery. It also includes breakthrough packaging suitable for functions, leak-proof, sturdy, stackable, eco-friendly and heat-insulated option. Swiggy took on the responsibility to enable restaurants to package their foods so that the food can be consumed conveniently and leftovers disposed of without any hassles. Restaurants are quite willing to purchase their packaging from the Swiggy platform since it is convenient, superior quality product and reasonably priced and directly delivered to restaurants.
India Eyeing Soybean Export Opportunity to China
India is eyeing soybean export opportunity to China after the escalation in the trade conflict between China and the United States. China imports soybean mainly from the United States and Brazil, crushes domestically and fulfills the demand for vegetable oil and protein meals. China is the largest importer and consumer of soybean and there are now immense opportunities for India. However, there could be a stumbling block for India because the Chinese have banned the import of soybean meal from India since 2012 on the basis of non-compliance of food safety norms.
However, with the China and US at loggerheads Chinese are looking for other countries for sourcing Soya. Recently, many soybean processing plants in India were inspected by concerned authorities such as the Export Inspection Council India, for preparedness to avail export opportunities to China. In fact, Chinese authorities recently visited rice plants in India for the same reason. India could emerge as a reliable supplier of soya meal to fulfill its domestic demand in the absence of US exports, which accounted for almost half the Chinese demand. Also, India presents a logistic advantage as the soya protein meals can reach China within a few days.
Mars Chocolate Sees India as an Accelerate Market
US-based chocolate maker Mars is ramping up its distribution network in India as it sees India as an ‘accelerate’ market which has high growth potential. The company already sells brands like Snickers, Mars, Bounty, M&M, Double Mint, Boomer, Orbit, Galaxy and Twix in India and plans to introduce one more brand in the next six to eight weeks to enhance its presence here. Presently, Mars Wrigley products are distributed through around 3,00,000 outlets and the company is planning on taking that number to 5,00,000. Mars has manufacturing plants in Pune, Baddi (Himachal Pradesh), Hyderabad and Bengaluru and has plans to expand capacity when the demand increases.
The company is also working to build a sustainable supply chain here to expand its reach beyond metros and some key cities. The company has high growth ambitions and is strategizing for long-term gains from the Indian market. Last year, Mars Inc integrated its Mars Chocolate and Wrigley segments in India, creating Mars Wrigley Confectionery (MWC) to tap high growth potential here. They are also likely to introduce products that are relevant to the Indian market. The company has an innovation centre in Bengaluru which is helping it to localise some of the flavours here. Mars has also introduced a small Rs.10 pack of Snickers as in India around 80 percent chocolates are sold in the Rs.10 price segment and after this launch, they have doubled their distribution of Snickers.
Walmart India Opens 22nd Cash and Carry Store in India
Walmart India, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Walmart Inc has announced the opening of its 22nd business-to-business Cash and Carry store in the country. The new store simultaneously got integrated with the B2B e-commerce platform, making it the 22nd Best Price store to go online. This is Walmart India’s second store in Ludhiana and the sixth one in Punjab. Punjab is an important sourcing destination for Walmart India and the company sources food items such as fresh vegetables, agri-commodities, staples, meat, and beverages from here. The Best Price Modern Wholesale Store stocks over 5,000 items, including a wide range of fresh, frozen and chilled foods, fruits and vegetables, dry groceries in the foods section besides other non-food items.
Cha Bar Tea Lounge Plans to Open 10 More Outlets
Cha Bar Tea Lounge of the Apeejay Surrendra group is expanding and is opening two outlets in Delhi-NCR. It is looking to open 10 more outlets by 2019. In Delhi-NCR, one of the Cha Bar outlets is at prime office complex DLF Two Horizon in Gurugram and the second one in Kamla Nagar, Delhi. The third one at Satya Niketan in the national capital will start this month. They already have four company-owned Cha Bar lounges, all inside famous Oxford bookstores in Kolkata, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bhubaneswar. The two new Cha Bar lounges in Gurugram and Delhi are independent and not inside the bookstore. The first Cha Bar was opened in Kolkata in 2000.
India is predominantly a tea-drinking nation where tea is a cultural preparation and at Cha Bar, they believe in offering a good cup of tea. The company says that every cup of tea that they serve is special and carries a story with it. Cha Bar offers flowering tea, organic tea, herbal tea, diet tea, fruit tea beside an exclusive range of Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiri, Sikkim and Oolong tea. There are more than 150 varieties on offer on the Cha Bar menu. The group will have control of the menu and price even in the franchisee-owned lounges. Apeejay Surrendra group has 100 years of experience in tea plantation business.
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