The search to discover hidden tickets to The Hundred returns.

Richard Lutz lurches towards a Christmas with tiers.

Evaluation highlights the appetite for arts, culture and entertainment in the city.

Richard Lutz tours the geometry of a grey Evenlode valley.

Coventry University’s business school has been awarded a prestigious accolade in recognition of the role it has played in helping to kick-start British enterprise.

How Birmingham boxer Liam O'Hare is showing another side to his dazzling footwork.

Only a week until Moseley Folk & Arts Festival returns to Birmingham's picturesque Moseley Park.

A guide to reducing risk and easing concerns.

With the Eurozone crumbling and billions being allocated to bank bailouts, financial stability might seem out of reach.

The Friends of Moseley Road Baths are dismayed to learn of Birmingham City Council’s decision not to submit a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for work to the Baths building, which would secure its long term future.

Claim by Birmingham MP.

From Sir Howard’s hot desk at the La Hula 69 Bar in Las Vegas

Unveiling the Spring 2024 season at B:Music.

Edgbaston gardens announce annual spring event.

Teenagers across the Black Country are being urged to visit a series of free road shows promoting apprenticeships where they can sign up for work with good quality training.

Chance to witness ghostly goings on at haunted venue.

The CBSO perform Puccini's masterwork, with Simon Hale in the audience.

Best of the Midlands at BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Good Food Show Summer.

Turn up and become a rock star.

Birmingham Forum to host the finest in local young musical talent.

Halesowen community invited to join in a big Poppy Picnic this Saturday to support The Royal British Legion’s vital work for the Armed Forces community

Sir Howard Elton, confidante of the football world and its poverty-stricken players, sits down with disgraced FIFA boss Septic Bladder. < /strong>

Backing for local council from residents.

Production marks Black History Month.

Simon Hale battles traffic to get to the Alex.

"Memorable" and "mesmerising" immersive experience the perfect summer holiday activity for families.

Eleven days of unique events discovering the city's history.

Campaign to reduce chewing gum litter launches in Wyre Forest.

Programme announced to coincide with World Mental Health Day.

“Udaan’s financial performance for FY23-24 reflects its commitment to building a robust, profitable and resilient business. With revenue reaching INR 5,700 crores for FY23-24, we have made significant strides toward profitability, reducing EBITDA burn by 40% year-on-year to ~INR 900 crores,” said Kiran Thadimarri, SVP Finance, Udaan in a LinkedIn post.

"The government has come up with Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC), an open network for digital commerce that is helping even the bigger e-commerce businesses," said Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

The planned action signals growing regulatory scrutiny of Walmart-owned Flipkart and Amazon when their sales are rapidly growing in India's $70 billion e-commerce market. An antitrust investigation also found the two companies breached laws by favouring select sellers, Reuters has reported.

While revenue fell sharply, it managed to reduce loss to a third at Rs 167 crore compared with Rs 503 crore the year before, according to the company’s financials. Dealshare’s revenue from the sale of traded goods decreased by 74.7% to Rs 495.8 crore in FY24, while its marketing services income contracted 44.3% to Rs 3.3 crore.

Commenting on competing with quick commerce platforms, Nayar said that Nykaa’s quick delivery initiative is targeted towards fast-moving everyday SKUs. “For us to continue to dominate market share in these SKUs, it is important to be competitive in certain metros from a quick delivery assortment. This is being addressed by our quick delivery initiative Nykaa Now.”

Blackstone is close to acquiring Retail Opportunity Investments Corp, which owns U.S. shopping centers worth $3.4 billion including debt. Other private equity firms, including Bain Capital, are also interested. The deal could be finalized in the coming weeks if negotiations succeed. ROIC has raised rents significantly amidst high inflation, making it an attractive target.

The sheer scale of sales opportunity in the Indian market has also provided “in-market, for-market” justifications for investments in manufacturing in the country, according to a latest forecast by S&P Global Market Intelligence.

Key sectors, including oil & gas (18 per cent), pharma/biotech (12 per cent), FMCG (8 per cent), and IT (6 per cent) emerged as primary drivers of this positive trend, with AI/ML roles showing exceptional growth at 39 per cent year-on-year, the report stated.

SBI economists predict a dip in India's GDP growth to 6.5% for the September quarter, citing temporary pressures on the domestic economy. Despite this, they maintain an optimistic outlook, expecting a rebound in the following quarter fueled by rising rural demand and anticipate FY25 growth to approach 7%.

India's economic growth is projected to slow to 6.2% in the second quarter of 2024-25, due to a high base effect and heavy rainfall, as per Barclays' estimates. While government spending and rural consumption are picking up, urban demand and private investment remain weak. Barclays has revised its GDP forecast for 2024-25 to 6.8% from 7% earlier, expecting a recovery in the second half of the year.

Reliance Retail is temporarily closing its Centro stores across India to revamp the format. The company plans to prioritize its own brands, like Azorte and Yousta, potentially phasing out some of the 450 local and global brands currently sold.

Sheela Foam, maker of Sleepwell and Kurl-on mattresses, reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 9 crore on revenues of Rs 813 crore in Q2 FY25. The company saw a 32% year-on-year revenue increase, driven by a 19% rise in mattress volume.

Going by the draft papers, the company plans to utilise proceeds from the fresh issue for investing in technology and cloud infrastructure; brand marketing and business promotion; and debt payment; and funds will also be allocated for inorganic growth and general corporate purposes.

Xiaomi India President Muralikrishnan B has resigned to pursue a doctorate, marking the end of his tenure during a period of recovery for the leading smartphone company. Muralikrishnan, who joined in 2018, will transition into a six-month gardening leave. His departure follows strategic executive appointments aimed at boosting offline sales and premium market presence.

According to early estimates from Counterpoint, shipments in the wearables industry fell 30% on-year in the July-September quarter with nearly every top brand including Boat and Noise seeing sharp declines in numbers. However, shipments of premium smartwatches and audio products nearly doubled, pushing up the average selling price.

Samsung India Electronics' revenue grew by a mere 4% in FY24, reaching Rs 102,626 crore, marking its slowest growth in eight years. This slowdown, largely attributed to a stagnant smartphone market and heightened competition, is believed to be behind recent layoffs and cost-cutting measures.

Manos Nikolakis, GM, BIC Cello, said, "While e-commerce is growing significantly across the country, the landscape of the Indian market is still heavily reliant on traditional trade. Accordingly, this remains our main sales driver. The lack of digital penetration in semi-urban and rural areas can sometimes create a challenge in the e-commerce space, which means that e-commerce is mostly relevant in bigger cities with a more mature infrastructure."

Bharat Puri, MD of Pidilite Industries, discusses the company's revenue growth driven by volume growth and reduction in prices due to normalized raw material prices. Puri expects double-digit volume growth going forward and highlights the company's focus on investing in rural markets, which have shown no decline or softness. Pidilite Industries has added 30,000 new retail points to its rural network and sees rural markets as a driver of growth. Puri also mentions the improvement in international business and sustainable EBITDA margins at the higher range of 20-24%.

The board of Pidilite -- maker of Fevicol, Dr Fixit, Fevikwik and M-Seal -- at its meeting held on Thursday approved the appointment of Vats as Managing Director Designate, who is currently Deputy Managing Director of Pidilite Industries.

India's Pidilite Industries , which makes Fevicol adhesives and Dr. Fixit waterproofing products, posted a 6.2% jump in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday, driven by lower input costs.

Pidilite Industries Ltd. managing director Bharat Puri expects volume and value growth to align in the second half of Q2 2024, with value growth potentially surpassing volume due to improved product mix. The company reported a 9.6% increase in volume and a 21% rise in net profit to Rs. 571 crores. Export sales were affected by geopolitical tensions and shipping delays.