CHENNAI PLUS

As India gears up for the festive season starting with Raksha Bandhan, Instamart is seeing a sharp shift toward premium, jewellery-inspired Rakhis, with consumers moving beyond the traditional thread towards more premium and valuable keepsakes. Premium Rakhis on Instamart have surged 20x compared to last year, with strong demand for silver designs and a spike in searches for jewellery brands like Kalyan Jewellers, Palmonas and GIVA. the overall Rakhi gifting segment may grow around 3x this year, as consumers look for gifts that combine utility, personalisation and a touch of indulgence. That demand is showing up in what customers are choosing. Kalyan Jewellers' 925 Tripundra Trishul Rakhi and 925 Ganesh Rakhi (both 1g silver) are among the platform's top premium picks, alongside Palmonas' waterproof, anti-tarnish Divine Lotus, Divine Om and Circle of Love Rakhis. To meet this appetite, Instamart through its sellers has curated a wider premium edit spanning Swarovski, GI...

Lava International Limited, India’s leading homegrown smartphone brand, announced the launch of the Virat V1 Pro 5G bringing together a premium experience coupled with powerful performance, durability and expansive memory for consumers. Designed to deliver with opulence, Virat V1 Pro will be available on Flipkart under Lava’s online first series- Virat starting 31st August at 12PM. Commenting on the launch, Mr. Sumit Singh, SVP and Head of Product, Lava International Limited, said, “Virat V1 Pro 5G is built on extensive research undertaken to identify real gaps in the market and deliver a strong value proposition for our users. The device is engineered for high performance, wrapped in a stylish design and equipped with good storage under the $200 segment. As the mobile industry navigates a challenging phase marked by a disrupted supply chain and inconsistent pricing, our focus with the Pro series was to build a customer-first product that delivers genuine value for discerning audienc...

MakeMyTrip and Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India, announced a partnership to offer exclusive travel benefits during key long weekends and peak holiday travel periods. Travel is increasingly becoming a year-round habit rather than an occasional indulgence with travellers opting for more frequent, shorter getaways throughout the year. Long weekends, in particular, have emerged as some of the popular travel peaks. Built around India's long weekend calendar, the programme is designed to offer recurring travel benefits across multiple holiday periods throughout the year. The offering covers domestic and international flights, hotels, holidays, tours and attractions, buses and cabs on the MakeMyTrip platform, enabling travellers to make the most of spontaneous or planned getaways. For every eligible long weekend, a dedicated booking window will open ahead of the holiday period, giving customers access to exclusive benefits and offers across travel categori...

  Axis Pension Fund, the pension fund management arm of Axis Asset Management Company Limited (Axis AMC) and a step-down subsidiary of Axis Bank Limited, has crossed  ₹ 20,000 crore in Assets Under Management (AUM), marking a significant milestone in its growth journey and reinforcing its position among the fastest-growing players in India’s non-government pension segment.   The milestone comes on the back of strong momentum in the business, with Axis Pension Fund adding its latest  ₹ 10,000 crore in AUM in just 15 months  (from June 2025 to Aug 2026). The accelerated growth reflects the increasing trust among subscribers and partners, expanding distribution reach and growing adoption of NPS as a long-term retirement planning solution.   The growth has been supported by a strong focus on building a broad-based NPS franchise through Axis Bank’s distribution network. The business has continued to expand its reach and strengthen engagement across ret...

Gemini Edibles & Fats India Limited (GEF), one of the largest regional branded edible oil players in the Indian market with a presence in Southern India and certain states of Eastern India, is proposing its initial public offering (IPO), comprising an Offer for Sale (OFS) of up to 41.15 million equity shares.   The selling shareholders comprise Alka Chowdhry, Golden Agri International Enterprises Pte. Ltd. (GAIE), Black River Food 2 Pte. Ltd. and Investment & Commercial Enterprise Pte. Ltd. (ICE). Of the total shares offered, Alka Chowdhry and GAIE are each offering approximately 2.06 million shares, while Black River Food 2 and ICE are offering approximately 30.86 million and 6.17 million shares, respectively.   Headquartered in Hyderabad, GEFL, is led by an industry veteran Pradeep Kumar Chowdhry and is primarily engaged in the trading, processing, manufacturing and marketing of edible oils and specialty fats and is now evolving into an integrated consumer br...

Interio by Godrej, a leading furniture brand from the Godrej Enterprises Group, is transforming furniture shopping experience by combining personalisation, digital engagement and physical retail at scale. Its digital engagement tools have contributed to 6% improvement in conversion rates, as the brand integrates AI-powered recommendations, 3D visualisation, room planning and configurable furniture solutions across the customer journey. Interio's e-commerce business has grown 14x over the last three years and now contributes 15% to its furniture business. The brand has also expanded its delivery and installation network from 1,200 to 20,000+ pincodes, while enabling 24-hour delivery and installation across state capitals. Post rebranding, Interio has moved from a traditional product-led retail approach towards an experience-led model that connects physical stores, digital platforms and design consultations. The technology-led approach has been implemented across 137 stores using d...