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Toys R Us successful in staving off collapse

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Just yesterday we had reported that in its move to stave off a collapse, Toys R Us had proposed a rescue plan.

Now, it has come to light that after creditors backed the rescue plan, the UK retailer has come out successful.

The retailer’s creditors met yesterday to vote on the rescue plan, which hinged on a resolution of the pension deficit. Toys R Us’s UK staff pension scheme has a deficit of more than £25m.

The PPF said the new offer from the company was composed of a payment of £3.8m in 2018, with a further £6m promised over 2019 and 2020.

The vote saw 98% of Toys R Us creditors backing the arrangement.

The move follows last-minute negotiations with the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) to secure a £9.8m injection into the company’s pension fund.

However, the rescue plan entails closing 26 of its 105 UK outlets putting 800 jobs at risk although no stores will close until spring 2018. Toys R Us employs 3,200 staff in total in the UK.

Toys R Us will continue to trade under its company voluntary arrangement (CVA), which is a step short of going into administration.

Steve Knights, managing director of Toys R Us UK, said: “The vote in favour of the CVA represents strong support for our business plan and provides us with the platform we need to transform our business so that we can better serve our customers today and long into the future.”

“All of our stores across the UK will remain open for business as normal until spring 2018. Customers can continue to shop online and there will be no changes to our returns policies or gift cards across this period,” he added.

 

Motorola partners with Chennai-based Poorvika Mobiles to open Moto Hub experience across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

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In its zest to have an equal share in both retail and online sales, Motorala has partnered with Chennai-based Poorvika Mobiles to open Moto Hub experience across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

As of now, nearly, one third of Motorala’s sale of smartphones in India happens through retail stores while two-third are done via online.

“We want a equal share in both retail and online. Next year we should have equal split,” says Sudhin Mathur, Managing Director, Motorola Mobility India.

Nearly 250 Poorvika stores will have entire Motorola’s phone portfolio under one roof. “In the next two to three months, we will have similar partnerships with retail chains in other parts of country,” Mathur said.

Buyers do a lot of research and want to experience the device before buying. Motorola Hubs provide this opportunity. “Our intention is to have around 1,000 such hubs in different retail formats in a few months,” he informed.

Moto Hub store will have the entire portfolio of Motorola devices including online exclusives such as Moto e4+, Moto C+, Moto X4 and the popular Moto G families and Moto Z franchise and Moto MODs along with Motorola accessories such as on-ear and in-ear headphones, Moto shells and covers.

Taiwanese tech major Asus in plans to expand retail presence in India

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The gaming industry in India has grown rapidly over the last decade, predominantly on the back of increasing smartphone and Internet penetration coupled with rising income levels in the country.

Taiwanese tech major Asus will expand its retail presence in India by setting up more stores dedicated to its Republic of Gamers (ROG) line of gaming laptops. Till now, the company has three such stores in Bengaluru, Kolkata and Bhubaneswar. Now, it plans to grow the number to 10 in the next year.

“We have seen tremendous success with these dedicated stores and will set up seven more stores in cities including metros, Hyderabad, Pune and Ahmedabad,” Asus National Business Development Manager (PC and Gaming) Arnold Su has been reported to have said.

Arnold said the company will also expand its presence across multi-brand outlets from current 100 to 300 stores in the coming year. “Gaming is a booming category in India and we are a large player in the category. The segment is expected to double in size to 80,000 units this year compared to 40,000 units in 2016,” he added.

The company, under ROG  has about 10-11 models priced from about  Rs 70,000 to Rs 4 lakh.

 

Facebook gets its first music licensee in Universal Music Group

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a global, multi-year agreement, Universal Music Group hasl become the first major music company to license its recorded music and publishing catalogues for use on Facebook, Instagram and virtual reality platform Oculus, it is learnt.

The deal, described as unprecedented in a statement from Universal, will license the content for video and other social experiences.

Under the partnership, users will be able to upload videos that contain licensed music on Facebook including Messenger, Instagram and Oculus and will eventually expand to enable access to a vast library of music across a series of social features.

The partnership will facilitate a deeper engagement between artists and fans, empowering users to express themselves through music, the statement read.

Tamara Hrivnak, head of music business development and partnerships at Facebook, said: “There is a magnetic relationship between music and community building.

“We are excited to bring that to life on Facebook, Instagram, Oculus and Messenger in partnership with UMG. Music lovers, artists and writers will all be right at home as we open up creativity, connection and innovation through music and video,” she added.

Haldiram is country’s largest snack company; beats PepsiCo

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After overtaking international food and beverages major PepsiCo as far as  sales are concerned and after a gap of more than two decades, Haldiram has become India’s largest snack company.

In the year ended September, Haldiram finished with its sales of around Rs 4,225 crore compared to PepsiCo’s Rs 3,991 crore. Last year, Haldiram posted sales of  Rs 3,262 crore while PepsiCo posted sales of Rs 3,617.

The increase in sales that Haldiram witnessed this year was because of a growing trend of people preferring packaged namkeen over Western packaged snacks like potato chips and nachos.

Also, despite being the largest in the industry as far as sales are concerned, that of Haldiram’s grew at a rate of nearly 30 per cent, beating the industry’s pace of 17 per cent by a fair distance.

 

Kilogrammedia in partnership with Zenworks

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UK-based licensing PR firm Kilogrammedia has tied up with Japan-based brand licensing agent and consultancy, Zenworks, it is understood.

The companies will provide each other with mutual support and provision with Kilogrammedia extending its client services to ZenWorks’ wide-ranging Asian client base and market.

On the other hand, ZenWorks will expand its service to its clients by offering the skills that have made Kilogrammedia the public relations partner of choice for numerous brands and agencies over many years.

Zenworks offers a comprehensive range of brand license development, consulting, market entry, communications and coordination services for the Japanese and global licensing communities, already representing such brands as V&A, Slazenger, Donnay, and No Fear in the region.

ZenWorks founder and director Roger Berman who has spent nearly 30 years in the licensing industry commenting on the partnership said, “With Asian content holders gaining an ever-increasing presence in global markets, we identified a need to offer licensing industry-specific PR services in this region. Our tie-up with Kilogrammedia, as a PR agency exclusively focused on licensing and broadcast and its excellent reputation in that field, make it an ideal partner for ZenWorks and our clients. We are looking forward to building a strong and lasting partnership.”

Kilogrammedia is the specialist public relations and marketing agency dedicated to meeting all the communication needs of everyone involved in the licensing and broadcast worlds, offering a suite of focused and high-quality services ranging from trade and consumer press relations to copywriting, social media management and event organisation.

 

YouTube inks new licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment

YouTube has inked new licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.

The long-term deals, reached after two years of negotiation, establish royalty rates for Universal and Sony artists whose videos are uploaded to YouTube as well as any user-generated clips including song covers.

The deals state that YouTube will police copyright infinrgement more aggressively, and also help set the stage for a rumoured paid streaming service, tentatively called Remix, slated to launch next year.

As part of the terms of its agreement with YouTube, Universal will be able to control which songs and videos appear on ad-supported channels and which appear on the forthcoming paid service.

It is unclear, though, how long each of the deals is slated to last.

YouTube has inked new licensing agreements with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment.
The long-term deals, reached after two years of negotiation, establish royalty rates for Universal and Sony artists whose videos are uploaded to YouTube as well as any user-generated clips including song covers.
The deals state that YouTube will police copyright infinrgement more aggressively, and also help set the stage for a rumoured paid streaming service, tentatively called Remix, slated to launch next year.
As part of the terms of its agreement with YouTube, Universal will be able to control which songs and videos appear on ad-supported channels and which appear on the forthcoming paid service.
It is unclear, though, how long each of the deals is slated to last.

 

 

 

Toys R Us proposes deal that could wipe out its pension deficit within a decade

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In an eleventh-hour attempt to stave off a collapse threatening 3,200 jobs, Toys R Us has proposed a deal that could wipe out its pension deficit within a decade.

According to a report, the company made the proposal at a meeting with the Pension Protection Fund lastTuesday.

The offer that includes an injection of a sum greater than a planned payment of £1.6m into its pension scheme in January and March would reduce toys R Us’ deficit recovery plan from 15 years to ten years and.

The offer however falls short of the PPF’s demand for a £9m up-front contribution to the scheme, an equivalent of three years of company payments and associated levies  which according to sources and at time of reporting, Toys R Us has not found to pay.

The retailer needs the support of the PPF at a vote of creditors on Thursday for a restructuring that would involve the closure of a quarter of its stores and lower rent bills at many others.

The pensions lifeboat has said that it intends to vote against the plan because it does not offer adequate support for the toy retailer’s retirement scheme.

Without the PPF’s backing the Company Voluntary Arrangement will fail, with Alvarez & Marshal on stand-by to handle a pre-Christmas administration.

One source indicated that the additional contributions offered by Toys R Us over the next three months would be marginally superior to the likely returns to the PPF if it were to fall into administration.

Meanwhile, after filing for bankruptcy in September last, the toy major has reported that its net sales for the third quarter were $2.02 billion, a fall of $89 million compared to that of the previous year.

According to the toy retailer, the decline was largely attributable to a decline in same-store sales and, most notably, in the baby category. However, an increase in consolidated e-commerce sales partially offset the decrease.

 

M.S. Dhoni joins hands with Run Adams to create an analytics-based sporting ecosystem app

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Making the vision of Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore of creating a mobile application that helps map and utilise the available sports facilities and build a talent base using IT infrastructure a reality, M.S. Dhoni has joined hands with Run Adam,to develop a sporting talent app.

According to a press release, Dhoni has joined hands with Run Adam to create an analytics-based sporting ecosystem app to help support and develop sporting talent in India.

Run Adam works a sports talent ecosystem that ‘connects aspiring athletes to their stakeholders, that includes schools, academies, coaches, associations, venue providers, fitness industry, specialists, sponsors and certifying institutes on a single platform thereby creating a complete 360 degree marketplace for sporting talent.’

Speaking on his association with Run Adam, Dhoni said, “Run Adam is a unique platform that has a vision to help sportspersons, amateur to pro, to achieve their dreams. I relate intimately to sportspersons’ challenges as I myself have faced it in my early career. Run Adam through its technology platform will help secure the most important resources for sportspersons, providing easy access to high quality coaches, venues and sponsors – all of which are imperative for honing skills and improving performance. India has extraordinary talent and such a platform can help change destinies of sportspersons and the future of sports.

K. Yeragaselvan, CEO and MD of Run Adam said, “India is a country of 1.3 billion and we are yet a far reach from our potential in sports. There is resource-hungry talent waiting to be honed and yet there are resources that lie under-used. Our ambition is to enable the talent and resources through technology and such that they can transact easily. It is a privilege to have M. S. Dhoni on board. His high interest and involvement in Run Adam has reinforced our Vision to bring the country’s sporting ecosystem under one umbrella to help solve the biggest challenges facing sporting talent.”

ArunPandey, MD, Rhiti Sports, the agency which architected this deal and became a strategic partner, observed, “India’s large size and population intensify the problem of access to those who need it most.  In sports, lack of access to even the most basic needs can make the difference between success and failure. If an athlete does not have shoes or gear or training, the ability to even perform, let alone excel, becomes impossible. The partnership of M.S. Dhoni and Run Adam is perfect because they have a seamlessly aligned Vision.”

 

Virat Kohli sidelines Shahrukh Khan to become the most valuable celebrity brand in the country

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With a brand value of USD 144 million and registering a growth of 56 per cent from last year, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has taken the number one position and dethroned Bollywood badshah Shah Rukh Khan to become the most valuable celebrity brand in the country, it is reported.

This increase is primarily driven by his growing endorsement fees, on-field performances and rise in popularity index, according to a report published by the Duff & Phelps report called Rise of the Millennials: India’s Most Valuable Celebrity Brands.

“For the first time since we began publishing our rankings, Shah Rukh Khan has slipped from the top ranking and been replaced by Virat Kohli. Kohli is now the first choice of brands to engage and attract consumers, fueled by his extraordinary on-field performances and off-field charisma,” said Duff & Phelps managing director and region leader, India, Japan and Southeast Asia Varun Gupta.

Shah Rukh Khan slipped to second rank, with a brand value of USD 106 million down by nearly 20 per cent as compared to that of 2016 while actress Deepika Padukone valued at USD 93 million stuck to her third rank.

Kohli endorses 20 brands as of October 2017, while Khan and Padukone endorse 21 and 23 brands, respectively.

Former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni is the only other sports personality to feature in the top 15 list, taking the 13th position with a brand value of USD 21 million.

Total value of the top 15 celebrity brands is estimated to be USD 712 million of which sports celebrities contributed around 25 per cent of the total celebrity brand value in 2017.

The top sectors using celebrity brand endorsers include personal care, food and beverages, automobiles, smartphones and clothing.