'Rat run' fear over decision to open up street to through traffic.

Muddy Stilettos honour claimed for second consecutive year.

Classic locomotive takes to the rails for the summer.

But look smart to catch Britain's poshest train.

New owner and team for the Five Alls at Filkins.

Vivek Rajkhowa writes about the man who transformed Birmingham.

Fundraiser announced for music heritage appeal.

King's Heath Walk of Fame latest.

Ball helps community group.

Richard Lutz reports on a step forward in opening the Moseley/Kings Heath train line.

Charity support from top golfers.

Richard Lutz watches democracy go down the pan.

Shopping ethically in the city.

Join Birmingham Children’s Hospital for the SACA Bike Ride 2018.

Debut solo tour comes to Birmingham.

Birmingham landmark hits £100,000 fundraising mark but "time is running out".

China's Xiaomi had complained to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) that the report - which found Flipkart, some of its sellers, and smartphone players in violation of competition laws - contained commercial secrets that should have been redacted, Reuters reported in September.

The new funding will support Wheelocity’s plans to expand operations across 20,000 towns and villages in southern India over the next year, aiming to reach a user base of 10 million.

India's food safety regulator directed e-commerce and quick commerce companies to follow shelf life guidelines for packaged food deliveries. The regulator emphasized a minimum remaining shelf life of 30% or 45 days upon delivery. This action follows complaints about companies not disclosing expiry dates. The regulator stressed the importance of clear expiry dates and adherence to labeling regulations.

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.

India's food safety regulator, FSSAI, has revised antibiotic residue norms for meat, milk, poultry, eggs, and aquaculture to combat growing antimicrobial resistance. Effective from April 2025, the new limits aim to ensure safer food products by setting stricter contaminant limits, amid rising concerns over antibiotic misuse in agriculture and healthcare.

Returnless refunds are a tool that more retailers are using to keep online shoppers happy and to reduce shipping fees, processing time and other ballooning costs from returned products. Companies such as Amazon, Walmart and Target have decided some items are not worth the cost or hassle of getting back. Think a $20 T-shirt that might cost $30 in shipping and handling to recover.

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is convening a Central Advisory Committee (CAC) meeting on November 7-8. The meeting will address concerns regarding food safety on e-commerce platforms and strategize ways to enhance food product surveillance and testing across states.

Retail leasing in India's top eight cities dipped slightly in the third quarter of 2024, driven by strong demand on main streets and limited mall supply. While overall leasing edged down 1%, main streets accounted for 68% of activity, pushing rental rates up in several cities.

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.

China's Singles' Day shopping extravaganza has lost its sparkle as consumers, wary of promotional tactics and facing economic headwinds, prioritize necessities over extravagant purchases. Major e-commerce platforms have ceased publicizing sales figures, reflecting this trend. Merchants are also scaling back, citing high advertising costs and diminishing returns, prompting a shift towards international markets.

India witnessed a surge in gig employment opportunities during the 2024 festive season, with over 1.2 million roles posted. This growth, a 23% increase from the previous year, was fueled by e-commerce expansion and a shift towards flexible work arrangements. Tier II cities are emerging as new gig hubs, while higher pay is attracting skilled professionals.

“With customers seeking more personalized experiences, the outlet will provide a holistic experience that will assist them in making the right decisions,” said Saurabh Agarwal, managing director, Kamdhenu Paints.

Furnishka will use the new capital to advance product design and development, strengthen manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, and expand to new geographies. The company will also expand its product categories focused on premium living room, dining room and bedroom collections, open six large-format stores, and create educational content to guide customers.

Akzo Nobel India has informed that its Dutch parent Akzo Nobel NV is conducting a strategic review of its portfolio to redeploy capital towards growing its core coatings businesses. The initial focus will be on its decorative paints business in South Asia and various strategic options will be explored ranging from partnerships or joint ventures through to mergers or divestments.

Borosil plans to invest Rs 250 crore for expansion and capacity augmentation to meet the demand, in which it intends to invest about Rs 150 crore on a new plant in Gujarat for Borosil Ltd, which is in the business of products such as glassware and cookware, said Kheruka. Besides, at its Jaipur unit, where Borosil has already invested Rs 450 crore to expand the production capacity, it has plans to invest Rs 100 crore for debottlenecking to improve efficiency and increase capacity further.

Akzo Nobel India reported a 14% increase in net profit to Rs 108.7 crore in the fourth quarter, driven by higher demand from the automotive sector. Despite muted retail demand due to higher rainfall and price hikes, the company's revenue from operations rose 3% to Rs 9.82 billion.

Net profit after minority interest declined to ₹694.60 crore in July-September quarter from ₹1,205.40 crore during the corresponding period of last fiscal year. Consolidated net sales decreased 5.3% to ₹8,003.0 crore from ₹8,451.9 crore.

Asian Paints faced a challenging second quarter with muted demand due to uneven rainfall and a slowdown in metro cities. Despite price hikes, competitive intensity remains high. The company is cautiously optimistic about single-digit volume growth in the coming quarter while closely observing AkzoNobel's strategic review of its India business.

India's retail inflation rose to 6.21 percent in October. This is a significant increase from September's 5.49 percent. Food prices are the main reason for this surge. This is the first time since August that inflation has gone beyond the Reserve Bank of India's 6 percent limit. The rise in onion prices is a major concern.

Chinese appliance giant Haier Group has submitted a proposal to the Indian government to form a joint venture with India's JSW Group. The proposed venture represents a significant investment of Rs 1,000 crore and requires government approval due to Haier's Chinese origins. This move comes after JSW's recent joint venture with Chinese automaker SAIC Motor.

Despite severe air pollution in Indian cities, particularly in Delhi-NCR, the market for air purifiers and anti-pollution personal care products remains small. Consumers perceive limited tangible benefits and sales spike only during peak pollution periods. While some growth occurs after Diwali, the overall market remains stagnant, with some companies exiting or scaling back operations.

At 11:06 a.m., the public issue was subscribed 1.09 times. The retail category was subscribed 4.08 times, while the NII portion garnered 1.18 times bids. There were no bids from qualified institutional buyers so far.

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."

“We will first want to focus on growth in terms of top line and margins will take care of themselves. With a lot of operating efficiencies coming in, margin should take care of itself but we follow our mantra of “nothing at the cost of market and nothing at the cost of margin. So we will balance both together.”

India's paper market is experiencing rapid growth, with packaging paper and paperboard consumption rising at 8.2% in 2023-24. The market, driven by demand from FMCG, textiles, pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, and healthcare sectors, benefits from the ban on single-use plastics. Overall paper demand in India grows at 6-7% annually.

Pidilite Industries has invested Rs 5 crore in Wify, a home improvement and maintenance services platform. This pre-series A funding round was led by Capria and Mount Judi Ventures, with participation from Blume Ventures. The investment aims to boost Wify's growth by enhancing its tech stack, expanding services, and strengthening its market position.

Pernia's Pop-Up Shop is raising funds for its initial public offering. The company plans to use the funds to expand its retail network and become debt-free. The retailer aims to open more stores in Mumbai and Delhi. Pernia's Pop-Up Shop sells designer wear from various brands. The company achieved significant revenue growth in the last financial year.

Trent Limited, a Tata Group company, witnessed a 40% rise in net sales for the quarter ending in September. The retailer's revenue reached Rs 4036 crore, while net profit saw a 46% increase to Rs 423 crore. Despite the growth, consumer sentiment remained subdued. Trent opened 43 new stores during the quarter, expanding its presence to 184 cities.

Beauté Secrets, a D2C beauty tools firm, has secured Rs 1.6 crore in debt from Velocity to expand its presence on quick commerce platforms and introduce new products. Founded in 2010, the company plans to enter major retail outlets and launch new beauty tools, leveraging its sustainable profits for growth and expecting a festive season boost.

Adwaita and Anchit Nayar, leaders at Nykaa, highlight their complementary roles in driving the company's success. They share insights on India's consumer tech and quick commerce growth, Nykaa's rapid expansion in warehouse capacity, and plans for same-day or next-day delivery, leveraging their efficient capital use and market competition to build the category.

Claypond Capital, Manipal Group chairman Ranjan Pai’s family office, also participated in funding for the health and wellness startup, formerly known as Healthifyme. To date, the company has raised $125 million in primary equity.

9Skin, co-founded by actress Nayanthara, partners with Reliance Retail's Tira to expand into offline retail in India. This collaboration launches the exclusive Skinderella Hydrogel Mask. The partnership aims to offer innovative, natural skincare solutions, now available both online and offline through Tira's network.

Highlighting the brand’s expansion trajectory in terms of physical retail presence, Sanjay Sharma, Country Head of Shiseido India said that since launching with 15 touchpoints last year, NARS has already doubled its reach to 30 points in India and plans to double again in the next two years.