Aakriti Bhalla

Karnātaka, New Delhi

Journalist and Writer at The Ken

Journalist @thekenweb; For tips/ conversations 📧: [email protected]

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Articles

Reliance dumps Asian Paints as new brands cut in

1 week ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

A weekly newsletter about the biggest changes in commerce—focusing on shifts that matter to you. Subscribe here Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%], You are reading our subscriber-only newsletter Trade Tricks—a weekly commentary on Indian retail and commerce Enter your email address to receive a daily curation of our latest newsletters, stories, and podcasts.
Reliance Trends, Pantaloons, and the shopping spree that never came

2 weeks ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. A posting at the Reliance Trends' store near the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi is a dream job for any salesperson. After all, the popular pilgrimage site attracted over 30 million visitors in 2024 alone, and such high footfall helps sales staff meet their targets faster.
How a Chandigarh retailer became Omega, Rolex's gateway to crazy rich Indians

1 month ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. Money can't buy everything. Including, it seems, ultra-expensive luxury watches. A rich Delhi family learnt this the hard way when the sales staff at an Ethos store refused to sell them a Rs 50 lakh Rolex watch in 2024. They were apparently not worthy of owning one. And how do you become worthy?
Zara taught Zudio how to outdo Zara

1 month ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. Fifteen years ago, the Tatas rolled out the red carpet for Zara. They stood behind, learnt the ropes, launched a new brand, and quietly began outperforming the Spanish retailer. And now, that bond is starting to crack.
This KFC, Pizza Hut franchisee thinks biryani is the next big thing in fast food

2 months ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%], It was very late in my life-my 20s, to be specific-that I ran into the love of my life: Kolkata biryani. A college mate introduced me to it and I quickly fell for the aromatic flavours of chicken served with a little surprise of aloo (potatoes) and anda (eggs). But that was in 2017. Once I graduated from college, I lost my best supplier.
Angel One got what it wished for. That's the problem

2 months ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. One clear sign that Angel One-India's third-largest discount broker-is serious about reversing its fortunes is that it bought itself a front-row seat at India's most expensive distraction: the currently unfolding Indian Premier League. Four years of title sponsorship. A blitz of ads.
Biyani's retail empire flamed out. His daughters seek redemption in birthing new brands

2 months ago | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. When Ashni and Avni Biyani opened their first Broadway store in Delhi's Ambience mall in September, it was a bitter-sweet moment. The multi-brand store-which sells everything from apparel to health products, and even houses the sisters' gourmet supermarket chain and cafe Foodstories-sat right next to Reliance's retail chain Smart Bazaar.
Go Zero, Kapiva defy business-family convention

Mar 20, 2025 | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. When 40-year-old Kiran Shah first proposed the idea of selling ice-creams via dark stores instead of ice-cream parlors, his family was perplexed. Apsara Ice Creams, their family chain, had 100 parlours across the country, and its quintessential guava ice-cream with chilli salt was famous all over Mumbai. Why move online then, they asked him.
Pepsi's biggest bottler is pouring more cola to fight Reliance's Campa

Feb 26, 2025 | the-ken.com | Aakriti Bhalla

Aakriti is a business reporter spotting trends in consumerism. She works at the intersection of the food & beverages, consumer and retail industry. A strange thing is happening at your neighbourhood kirana . Pepsi bottles are getting fatter. The Rs 20 Pepsi now holds 400 ml, up from 250 ml-60% more cola for the same price. It's not a quirky promotion. It's a panic move. Pepsi's largest bottler in India, Varun Beverages, is sweating.
How Minimalist managed what a giant like Hindustan Unilever couldn't

Jan 26, 2025 | the-ken.com | Rahel Philipose |Suprita Anupam |Aakriti Bhalla |Rohin Dharmakumar

One of the largest deals to acquire a D2C brand took place last week. India’s largest manufacturer of consumer good, Hindustan Unilever acquired the skincare company Minimalist, a 90% shareholding for nearly 3000 crore rupees. Homegrown startup beauty brands have been on a roll in India. Scores and scores of new age skincare brands have cropped up since the pandemic and all of them harp on the science of it. And their whole appeal is transparency.