Aakriti Bhalla

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. 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.

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.

Jan 26, 2025 | the-ken.com | Suprita Anupam |Aakriti Bhalla

“Would you like to create generational wealth?”That was the pitch a Zepto HR manager made to a vice-president (VP)-level candidate during a recruitment call in 2024. “Think Rs 50 crore to Rs 100 crore in just four years,” the HR added, with the tone of someone offering a once-in-a-lifetime lottery ticket. The candidate, who declined to be named for professional reasons, didn’t even show up for the interview. But the audacity of the pitch speaks volumes about the quick-commerce darling’s ambitions.

Jan 21, 2025 | the-ken.com | Rahel Philipose |Aakriti Bhalla |Rounak Kumar Gunjan |Rohin Dharmakumar

A bunch of startups are not entering the booming Indian e-bus ecosystem and becoming overnight successes. Just take the case of EKA mobility. Before 2023, EKA was barely a company. It was more the R&D wing of Pinnacle Industries, which is a major manufacturer of seating and interiors for legacy automakers like Tata Motors and Ashok Leyland. But when the government launched the PM E-Drive subsidy back in September, everything changed for Eka Mobility.

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

The food aggregators ventured into and eventually shut down their cloud kitchens. But they appear to have had a change of heart A weekly newsletter about the biggest changes in commerce—focusing on shifts that matter to you. Subscribe here Good morning [%first_name |Dear Reader%], After kiranas, quick commerce has come for restaurants.