Jyothy Laboratories is in talks to acquire the laundry detergent brand Safed from West Bengal-based Safechem Industries for approximately 70 crore rupees. Bird Group plans to invest 2,200 crore rupees to develop six luxury hotels across India over the next six years under a joint venture with Dusit Hotels. Numero Uno Clothing will take over retail and distribution of the German clothing brand Lerros in India from the failed joint venture Lerros Fashions India.

1. 18th October – 24th October 2010
WEEKLY NEWS

2. • JYOTHY Laboratories (JLL),which owns brands such as Ujala and Maxo,
is in advanced stage of talks with West Bengal-based detergents and allied
products company Safechem Industries to buy its flagship laundry
detergent brand, Safed.
• The deal is estimated to be 70 crore, according to two people familiar with
the transaction.
• HUL and P&G are majors players in the 12,000-crore laundry care market,
with 36.8% and 14.6% share, respectively.
• In the mass market space, strong players like Nirma and Ghadi are getting
aggressive in terms of marketing and distribution.
• Mid premium segment is the only space where JLL can hope to expand.
• The company is already the largest player in the fabric whitener space with
more than 70% market share.
Jyothy Lab In Talks To Acquire Laundry
Detergent Brand Safed
18th October 2010

3. • Travel and hospitality company Bird Group on Monday said it would
invest up to $500 million ( 2,200 crore) in the next six years on developing
six luxury hotels across the country.
• The company had entered into a 50:50 JV with Thailand-based Dusit
Hotels for foraying into the hospitality sector.
• It expects to open its first hotel next year under the brand 'Dusit
Devarana'.
• The hotels, which will have a total capacity of around 800 rooms, will be
managed by the JV Dusit Bird Hotel.
Bird Group To Invest 2,200 Crore In
India
19th October 2010

4. • Numero Uno Clothing, a denim wear manufacturer, will now retail and
distribute German brand Lerros in India.
• Lerros Fashions India, a joint venture between Gurgaon-based House of
Pearl Fashions and German casual wear brand Lerros Moden, decided to
licence out the brand to Numero Uno after failing to make a mark in the
retail market in two years.
• Numero Uno Clothing will retail and distribute (Lerros) all over India.
• When the JV was set up in 2008,Lerros Fashions set itself a target of
around 100 stores in five years. So far, it has managed to open only four
outlets, all in the NCR.
• Hence the decision to rope in Numero Uno. House of Pearl and Lerros
will support the venture in design and sourcing in return for royalties.
Numero Uno To Retail Lerros In India
20th October 2010

5. • Priced between Rs 20.95 and 22.95
lakh ex-showroom.
• 2.2 litre CRDi unit with E-VGT
which pumps out a class leading 197
PS and 410 plus Nm of torque.
• 6-speed manual gearbox with shift
indicator on the speedo console.
• The Santa Fe is available in both 2WD
and 4WD variants.
• ESP and ABS.
• 6 airbags to break your impact.
Hyundai Launches The Santa Fe!
21th October 2010

6. • Chinas gross domestic product at $4.9 trillion is about 3.78 times that of
India's. The US economy, the worlds largest, is 2.9 times the size of Chinas
and 11 times India's.
• It is expected that India to start growing faster than China, but not so soon. A
research report by Morgan Stanley had said India could overtake Chinas
growth rate by 2013 and expected it to be notably ahead from 2015 onwards.
• Chinas industrial production also fell from the previous quarter to
13.3%,China growth forecast is a bit on the downside.
• The Chinese central bank raised the benchmark interest rate by 0.25% to
2.25% on Tuesday after nearly three years to rein in prices and inflation, which
touched a 23-month high of 3.6%.
• The growing global friction over currency values and calls for China to let the
Yuan appreciate and address the large surplus it runs with other countries for
better distribution of growth.
Chinas GDP 3.78 Times Of India's
22nd October 2010

7. • HONDA Motor Co said on Friday it was recalling 528,000 vehicles world-
wide due to potential problems with a master brake cylinder seal.
• Most of the recalled vehicles are Odyssey minivans sold in the United
States. The recall is similar to one issued on Thursday by Toyota Motor
Corp for about 1.5 million vehicles worldwide.
• Of the Honda recalls,435,000 of them are Odyssey minivans sold in the
United States. A smaller number of Acura RL sedans sold around the
world is involved in the Honda recall.
• Still Honda did not say how much the repairs will cost the company.
Honda Recalls 528,000 Cars
23rd October 2010

8. • Foreign direct investment (FDI) in August dipped by about 60% to $1.33b,the
lowest in this fiscal, industry department data released on Friday showed.
• The FDI inflows in August 2009 were $3.26 billion.
• During the first five months of 2010-11,the inflows declined by 35% to $8.88
billion compared to $13.76 billion in the same period last year.
• For a smart recovery in the domestic economy and a rebound in exports,
overseas investment in form of equity inflows are on decline since June.
• The overseas investment in June was at $1.38 billion, while that in July was
$1.78 billion.
• The FDI in the first two months of this fiscal, April and May was $2.17 billion
and $2.21 billion, respectively.
• Crisil chief economist D K Joshi said India provides good opportunities for
growth and the declining trend will not continue.
FDI Inflow Dips By 60% To $1.33b In
August
24th October 2010