As India's middle class grows and disposable incomes rise, "modern" retail is becoming the next hot sector of the Indian economy. Hundreds of millions of new consumers will join this retail revolution, venturing into supermarkets, department stores and air-conditioned shopping malls for the first time. But instead of just window shopping, many of them will be serious buyers with money to spend. To cater for their needs, established players in the modern retail sector such as Biyani, Raheja and Goenka are being joined by the big names of Indian business - Reliance, Birla, Bharti, Tata etc - who plan to spend billions over the next few years rolling out supermarkets, big-box outlets and specialty stores. At the same time, property developers are getting on with the "malling" of India, and looking for high profile anchor tenants to lure customers. On the sidelines of this Indian retail revolution are big overseas players such as Wal-Mart, which already has a tie-up with Bharti to provide much-needed “back office” support. But what Wal-Mart really wants is the right to set up its own stores in India. The same goes for Tesco, Carrefour, Metro and other international players. While the macro outlook appears bright, the problems are astronomical for India retail industry. There is no reliable cold chain, transport logistics are appalling, there is a huge lack of managerial talent, there is no consistency for quality and quantity of supply, there is political opposition from groups such as market middlemen, the mom and pop "kirana" corner stores have to be catered for, as do the farmers who grow the produce that is integral to a successful retail revolution. How well will these disparate players cope with the various pressures of a dynamic and fast-moving industry?

The sequel to the highly successful Store Wars: the battle for mindspace and shelfspace published in 1995. The new edition will retain all the strengths of the old book including a comprehensive and complex approach to the consumer & retail market and the interaction between FMCG retailers and manufacturers. The book will be thoroughly revised and updated and will consist of 4 main parts: A section on leading FMCG companies and brands (such as Coke, P&G, Unilever, Nestle, L'Oreal etc.), their marketing and branding strategies in the western markets (USA, Western Europe: UK, France, Germany and others). A section on leading retailers (Wal-Mart, Tesco, Carrefour etc.), their developments and expansion over the last 10 years. A section describing the interaction between retailers and manufacturers, including competition for end-consumers, trade marketing. A section covering the Emerging Markets—the retail landscape in the major developing economies, results of the expansion of major FMCG brands and western retail chains, challenges related to distribution and FMCG marketing in those countries. The book will also discuss the impact of the Global Crisis on the consumer and retail markets as well as predictions and prospects for the future.

A fascinating insight into the global battle for our energy future The global competition for scarce natural resources that pits the West against the super-hot economies of China and India, plus a clutch of other contenders including Russia, Brazil, and Indonesia, has become one of the biggest issues facing the world today. Whether it is the rare metal lithium found in salt pans in the Andes, gas from the Caspian Sea, oil off the coast of Brazil, coal from Africa's Zambezi River, or uranium from Kazakhstan, China and India are desperate to ensure the security of their future energy supplies. The same goes for food and water, as contamination and over-use take their toll, the need to provide continued access for the next generation and beyond has increased exponentially. In Earth Wars: The Battle for Global Resources, international business journalist Geoff Hiscock explores the problems, potential solutions, and inevitable tensions in this ongoing scramble for finite natural resources. Going beyond "big power" politics to explore resource ownership and the use of innovative technology to get the most out of them, the book takes a forward-looking approach to this pressing issue. Written in clear, jargon-free language, it tells the global resources story in a fresh and engaging way that anyone can understand. Includes insightful, up-to-the-minute coverage of the most pressing debates over resource allocations Discusses the major Chinese and Indian businesses that are just becoming known to those in the West (Sinopec, CNOOC, CNPC, Indian Oil, ONGC, Reliance, Coal India, SAIL, and many others) Presents resource- and region-specific chapters to help readers view the pertinent issues from multiple angles As the economies of China and India grow to challenge those of the West, the battle over natural resources will continue to heat up. Earth Wars looks at this very real problem in-depth, presenting a definitive look at one of the greatest challenges of our time.

After World War II, structures, practices and the culture of retailing in most West European countries went through a period of rapid change. The post-war economic boom, the emergence of a mass consumer society, and the adaptation of innovations which already had been implemented in the USA during the interwar period, revolutionized the world of getting and spending. But the implementation of self-service and the supermarket, the spread of the department store and the mail order business were not only elements of a transatlantic catch up process of 'Americanization' of retailing. National patterns of the retail trade and specific cultures of consumption remained crucial, and long term processes of change, starting in the 1920s or 1930s, also had an impact on the transformation of retailing in post-war Europe. This volume presents a series of case-studies looking at transformations of retailing in several European countries, offering new insights into the structural preconditions of the emerging mass consumer societies and also into the consequences consumerism had on the practices of retailing.

The communication techniques used by people and organisations have changed beyond recognition in barely two decades. For many, it is difficult to imagine a world without the internet, social media and smartphones. As a result, marketers have been presented with a profusion of technology to target customers. This research study looks at the markedly different communications landscape in developing nations, where multinationals cannot assume the availability of modern-day marketing communications tools, basic infrastructure, or that consumers are literate. Marketing in the Dark examines the methods used to reach consumers in the world’s “media dark regions” with an emphasis on Unilever’s Project Shakti in India.

Leading international food retailers have in recent years expanded beyond national boundaries and started to operate on a global scale. This book describes the current state of play, looking in detail at the main competitors worldwide and analyzing the factors underlying their successes and failures. The authors are leading commentators on this industry and identify the essential characteristics of a global strategy in food retailing and include many compelling examples.