SAFFRONS WORLD

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

The 14th FURA Retail Jeweller India Awards Grand Jury Meet on July 31st, 2018

Special highlight: Selection of Top 100 precious jewellery designs of India

Tuesday, July 31st, 2018: The 14th FURA Retail Jeweller India Awards 2018(RJIA), an Elite Circle of Excellence — widely described as the Oscars of the Indian jewellery industry — held its Grand Jury Meet on Tuesday, July 31st, 2018, at Sahara Star, Jade Ballroom, Mumbai.

At the Grand Jury Meet this year, the eminent jurors selected the Top 100 precious jewellery designs of India — that is, five standout designs nominated from the entries in each of the 20 award categories.

The total pool of 425 top-rated designs displayed at the meet, from some of the most respected jewellery houses in India, was shortlisted by the jury in the first phase of online selection. The process, which is truly rigorous, is audited by the reputed market research agency Hansaa.

Connoisseurs of luxury, experienced and mature in their tastes, are the single most attractive consumer segment for jewellers in India. That said, the largest and most promising segment of today’s consumers is the millennials. The Awards team recognises this.

Starting in 2018, FURA RJIA welcomes millennials as jurors to the Grand Jury. The FURA RJIA Grand Jury includes both jewellery connoisseurs and jewellery buffs, bringing a new dimension to the award decisions.

This year the jewellery connoisseurs include Michelle Poonawalla, Director, Poonawalla Group of Engineering Companies; Nawaz Modi Singhania, Fitness and lifestyle expert and artist; Perizaad Zorabian, Director- Zorabian Group of Companies; Namrata Baruwa Shroff, Interior architect and Devita Saraf, founder and CEO of Vu Technologies.

The jewellery buff’s include Kritika Kamra; Actor, Yashaswini Dayama; Actor, Puja Banerjee; Actor, Sreejita De; Actor and Priyamvada Kant; Actor and Riddhi Dogra, Actor.

The core idea of this jury initiative is to identify those few, top-notch designs in precious jewellery that embody the incredible changes in design sensibility among the jewellery buyers of today.

This year will also see the launch of a campaign to promote the TOP 100 precious jewellery designs of India at the Retail Jeweller India Awards. The campaign will brilliantly illuminate these top rated designs to the consumer who seeks differentiated, unique and creative designs.

To give these designs the fuel of greater visibility RJIA 2018 has partnered with TheJewelleryDiaries.com, India’s first online precious jewellery media platform. It brings the latest from the world of glitz and glamour, sparkle and shimmer, all that's precious and priceless.

The Top 100 precious jewellery designs of India will be on display at the grand finale night of Fura RJIA 2018 in Mumbai on the 10^th of August at JW Marriot, Sahar, Mumbai, where the winner in each category will also be announced.

According to Rupak Sen, Vice President- Marketing& Sales, Fura, the presenting partner for RJIA 2018, “While the association underscores Fura’s commitment to India for building a more organized and transparent supply chain, the partnership with RJIA is more than just a strategic alliance. It is an ideological alliance as both are ethically minded companies. RJIA is determined in its resolve to mine the best gems out of a plethora of awe-inspiring designs in the most transparent and ethical manner and FURA is equally single –minded in taking a transparent route to mining the gems from Colombia and Mozambique.

The associate partners for the event are Platinum Guild International PGI, Solitaire Gems Labs SGL, Hari Krishna Exports and Damara Gold.

SGL:

Solitaire Gems Labs (SGL) is an international independent laboratory that provides professional gemstone identification abd grading services to the gems & jewellery industry through its centers worldwide. SGL is the first international gemmological laboratory to specialize in certifying diamond studded jewellery in United Kingdom & to offer Mobile laboratory services all over the country for the same.

Damara Gold:

Damara Gold Pvt. Ltd. is an India based leading manufacturer of gold jewellery. Specializing in internationally recognized quality machine made gold bangles and jewellery.

PGI:

Founded in 1975, Platinum Guild International (PGI) is the world’s leading authority on the platinum jewellery industry and is an organisation supported by the major South African platinum producers. PGI has specialist teams dedicated to raising awareness of platinum jewellery, developing demand for platinum jewellery through consumer and trade facing programmes in the four key jewellery markets of China, India, Japan and USA.

HARI KRISHNA EXPORTS:

With a family legacy of over two decades in the diamond industry, Hari Krishna Exports Pvt. Ltd is India's leading manufacturer of cut and polished diamonds.The company is known for its highest ethical standards, commitment to excellence, consistent product quality and transparent business practice.

About Retail Jeweller India Awards:

•Retail Jeweller India Awards was established in 2005 with the mission to take the US $52 billion Retail Jewellery industry forward by creating a platform for recognizing the best work of the industry in fields of design, retail and marketing. The RJIA ceremony is the oldest in the Indian jewellery industry.

•Also known as India’s Oscars for the Retail jewellery industry and the only business awards specifically for retail jewellers in the country of 3 lakh retail jewellers.

•With a jury of great repute and Hansaa as the process auditor, the awards are the country’s premier and most authoritative national competition.

•It is an initiative of the Retail Jeweller Magazine which is a specialized bi-monthly business magazine read by top jewellery retailers across 415 cities of India.

About Fura:

Fura Gems is a gemstone mining and marketing company with emerald and ruby assets in Colombia and Mozambique, respectively.

FURA Gems has a unique identity as a revolutionary gemstone mining and marketing company. From their Dubai-based headquarters, Fura Gems sustainably source gemstones from their mining sites around the world, using industry best practices.

FURA’s initial focus includes mining ruby assets in Mozambique and emeralds in Colombia. Together with their trusted partners, they also market these beautiful treasures across reliable selling platforms.

As a listed company on Canada’s TSX Venture Exchange (ticker symbol: FURA.V) and a member of the Forbes & Manhattan Group, Fura Gems strive to champion transparency and principled operations for all of their projects whilst bringing sophisticated mining and marketing to the global gemstone market, together with all their stakeholders, they are committed to the timeless pursuit of perfection.

Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. brings Japan's leading baby diaper brand into India

~Launches Merries from the house of Kao Corporation, Japan’s top FMCG company~

Mumbai, July 30 2018: Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd., has announced the official launch of Japan’s leading baby diaper brand ‘Merries’ in India. Merries is one of the three major brands of Japanese FMCG giant Kao Corporation, generating more than 1500 billion Yen in annual sales. It is also the leading premium brand in the Japanese baby diaper market for 11 consecutive years in term of sales value share for tape and pants diapers. Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. plans to tap into the growing potential of the Indian baby diaper market through Merries, which has been positioned as a premium baby diaper brand in the country.

The Merries product portfolio comprises of tape and pant diapers and skin care products. In India, Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. has introduced the tape and pant diapers, which are retailing exclusively on Amazon (https://www.amazon.in/b?node=15329486031). The Merries tape and pant diaper’s unique strength is in its extreme gentleness to the baby’s skin. Tape diapers come with a 3 Layer Air-Through System. The first layer comprises a light airy, wavy mesh which helps reduce the skin contact area by half, expelling moisture and stuffiness through the gaps between the diaper and skin. The second is the absorbent layer, where the liquid is absorbed and the moisture is passed through. The third layer is entirely breathable drawing away moisture and heat from the liquid. Pant diapers, on the other hand, are equipped with unique airy waist channels, which release the heat and moisture around the waist directly through the gap between the waist gathers and the skin. These technologies help protect the baby’s skin against moisture and heat thereby preventing diaper rashes. In addition, the Merries pant diaper of S and M sizes are 2.5 times more stretchable than the product itself, ensuring a perfect fit that is not too tight around the baby's abdomen and can be easily put-on to babies.

The Indian diaper industry is currently pegged at about 4.6 billion pieces or US$ 800 million. The industry is expected to grow to about 10 billion pieces or US$ 1400 million by 2022. Increasing birth rate, higher disposable income, increased hygiene awareness and radical increase in the number of working women are factors driving this market growth. Over the years, the consumer’s mindset while purchasing diapers has also evolved. Initially, consumers focused on a diaper’s absorption capacity, but now are looking into other aspects as well like breathability and softness of the fabric.

Speaking about launching Merries in India, Mr. Hiromichi Yagi, Chairman & Managing Director of Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. stated, “Kao Corporation is a market leader in manufacturing premium quality baby diapers in Asia and Merries is the most powerful product in their product portfolio. There is significant growth potential for us in India where the penetration rate of baby diapers is still below 6% despite approximately 25 million babies being born every year. Presently the country is using 4.6 billion pieces of diapers as against its 80 billion potential. Through the launch of Merries we hope to provide a thrust to the current number.”

Elaborating on their distribution model and marketing strategies in India, Mr. Yagi added, “Currently, we are importing Merries from Japan to India, storing them at our warehouses and retailing them exclusively on Amazon. As part of our marketing efforts, we would be undertaking sampling activities for consumers to feel the quality of Merries.”

Apart from India now, Merries is sold across many countries including Japan, China, Indonesia and Russia.

The MRPs of Merries tape diapers for new born are INR 1099 (60 pieces) and INR 549 (24 pieces). The MRPs of Merries small sized pant diapers are Rs 1599 (62 pieces), medium Rs 1599 (58 pieces), large INR 1499 (44 pieces) and XL INR 1499 (38 pieces).

About Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd.

Utilizing its global operating locations, network and information resources, Mitsui is multilaterally pursuing business that ranges from product sales, worldwide logistics and financing, through to the development of major international infrastructure and other projects in the following fields: Iron & Steel Products, Mineral & Metal Resources, Infrastructure Projects, Integrated Transportation Systems, Chemicals, Energy, Food, Food & Retail Management, Healthcare & Service, Consumer Business, IT & Communication Business, Corporate Development Business.

Mitsui & Co. India Pvt. Ltd. is a 100% subsidiary of Mitsui & Co. Ltd. having 4 offices and 185 employees in India.

मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि. भारतात आणणार जपानमधील आघाडीचा बेबी डायपर ब्रॅण्ड

जपानची प्रमुख एफएमसीजी कंपनी असलेल्या काओ कॉर्पोरेशनचे उत्पादन असलेल्या मेरिसचे लॉन्चिंग

३० जुलै २०१८ : जपानमधील आघाडीचा `मेरिस` हा बेबी डायपर ब्रॅण्ड भारतात अधिकृतपणे लॉन्च करीत असल्याची घोषणा मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि.ने केली. जपानच्या एफएमसीजीमधील मोठी कंपनी असलेल्या काओ कॉर्पोरेशनच्या तीन प्रमुख ब्रॅण्डपैकी एक ब्रॅण्ड मेरिस आहे. या कंपनीला विक्रीतून वर्षाला १५०० अब्ज येन एवढे उत्पन्न मिळते. टेप आणि पॅण्ट्स डायपरच्या विक्रीमूल्याच्या हिस्सेदारीबाबत जपानच्या बेबी डायपर मार्केटमधील आघाडीचा प्रीमियम ब्रॅण्ड म्हणून या कंपनीने सलग ११ वर्षे आपले स्थान अबाधित राखले आहे. भारतात बेबी डायपर मार्केटच्या वाढीला पोषक वातावरण असल्याने मेरिसच्या माध्यमातून मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि.नेही बाजारपेठेत उतरण्याचे ठरविले असून देशात तो प्रीमिय बेबी डायपर ब्रॅण्ड म्हणून अव्वल ठरेल.

मेरिसच्या उत्पादनांमध्ये टेप आणि पॅण्ट डायपर तसेच त्वचाची निगा राखणाऱ्या उत्पादनांचा समावेश आहे. मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि. या कंपनीने भारतात टेप आणि पॅण्ट डायपर्स उपलब्ध केले असून त्यांची विक्री केवळ अॅमेझॉनवर (https://www.amazon.in/b?node=15329486031) करण्यात येत आहे. मेरिस टेप आणि पॅण्ट डायपर हे लहान बाळांच्या त्वचेच्या दृष्टीने अतिशय मुलायम असून तेच या ब्रॅण्डचे प्रमुख वैशिष्ट्य आहे. टेप डायपरमध्ये त्रिस्तरीय एअर-थ्रू सिस्टीम आहे. पहिला स्तर काहीसा हवेशीर असून त्यातील विशिष्ट प्रकारची जाळी बाळाच्या त्वचेला डायपरचा थेट स्पर्श होऊ देत नाही. डायपर आणि त्वचा यातील या अंतराद्वारे ओलावा आणि कोंदटपणा रहात नाही. दुसरा स्तर द्रवशोषक असून जो द्रव शोषून घेतो आणि ओलावा होऊ देत नाही. तिसरा स्तर हा ओलाव आणि द्रावापासून निर्माण होणारी उष्णाता पूर्णपणे काढून टाकण्यासाठी सहाय्यभूत आहे. तर दुसरीकडे पॅण्ट डायपरमध्ये कंबरेजवळील भाग वैशिष्ट्यपूर्णरीत्या हवेशीर ठेवण्यात आला आहे. कंबरेभोवती असलेला डायपरचा भाग आणि त्वचा यामध्ये ठेवण्यात आलेल्या पोकळीद्वारे उष्णता आणि ओलावा थेट बाहेर निघून जातो. ओलावा आणि उष्णता निर्माण होऊन डायपरमुळे पुरळ तयार होते; परंतु मेरिसच्या या तंत्रज्ञानामुळे बेबीच्या त्वचेची योग्य प्रकारे काळजी घेतली जाते. याव्यतिरिक्त स्मॉल आणि मीडियम आकाराचे मेरिस पॅण्ट डायपर हे उत्पादनाच्या तुलनेत अडीचपट अधिक ताणले जातात. त्यामुळे ते बाळाचे उदर आवळले जाणार नाही, अशा प्रकारे योग्यरीतीने हे डायपर बाळांना घालता येतात.

भारतीय डायपर उद्योग हा सध्या सुमारे ४.६ अब्ज नगांवर किंवा ८०० दशलक्ष अमेरिकन डॉलर्सवर पोहोचला आहे. सन २०२२पर्यंत हा उद्योग सुमारे १० अब्ज नगांवर किंवा १४०० दशलक्ष अमेरिकन डॉलर्सवर पोहोचण्याची शक्यता आहे. वाढता जन्मदर, उच्च उत्पन्न, आरोग्याबाबतची जागरूकता आणि नोकरदार महिलांच्या संख्यत होणारी वाढ हे सर्व घटक बाजारपेठेच्या वाढीस चालना देणारे आहेत. गेल्या काही वर्षांत डायपरच्या खरेदीबाबतची ग्राहकांची मानसिकता देखील बदलली आहे. सुरुवातीला डायपरच्या शोषणाची क्षमता पाहिली जायची, पण आता हवेशीरपणा आणि कापडाचा मुलायमपणा यांना देखील महत्त्व दिले जात आहे.

भारतात मेरिस लॉन्च करीत असल्याच्या निमित्ताने मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि.चे अध्यक्ष आणि व्यवस्थापकीय संचालक श्री. हिरोमिची यागी म्हणाले, `अत्यंत दर्जेदार बेबी डायपरच्या उत्पादनामध्ये काओ कार्पोरेशन ही आशियात अव्वल असून तिच्या एकूण उत्पादनांमध्ये मेरिस हे जास्त मागणी असलेले उत्पादन आहे. आमच्या दृष्टीने वाढीसाठी भारतात अतिशय पूरक वातावरण आहे आणि दरवर्षी अंदाजे २५ दशलक्ष बाळांचा जन्म होत असतानाही बेबी डायपर वापरण्याचे प्रमाण हे अद्याप ६ टक्क्यांहून कमी आहे. ८० अब्ज डायपरच्या वापराची क्षमता असताना देखील देशात सध्या ४.६ अब्ज नगांचा वापर होत आहे. आता मेरिस लॉन्च केल्यानंतर ही संख्या वाढेल, अशी आम्ही आशा करतो.`

भारतातील वितरण व्यवस्था आणि मार्केटिंगच्या धोरणाबाबत श्री. यागी पुढे म्हणाले, `सध्या आम्ही जपानमधून भारतात मेरिसची आयात करीत आहोत. आमच्या वेअरहाऊसमध्ये ते साठवून ठेवत असून ते केवळ अॅमेझॉनवर खरेदीसाठी उपलब्ध आहेत. आमच्या मार्केटिंगचा भाग म्हणून आम्ही मेरिसच्या दर्जाबाबत ग्राहकांचे काम मत आहे, हे जाणून घेणार आहोत.`

भारताव्यतिरिक्त मेरिसची जपान, चीन, इंडोनेशिया आणि रशियात विक्री केली जाते.

नवजात अर्भकासाठी मेरिस टेप डायपर १०९९ रुपये (६० नग) आणि ५४९ रुपये (२४ नग) या किमतीत उपलब्ध आहेत. लहान आकाराच्या पॅण्ट डायपरची किंमत १५९९ रुपये (६२ नग), मध्यम आकारासाठी १५९९ रुपये (५८ नग), मोठ्या आकारासाठी १४९९ रुपये (४४ नग) आणि एक्सएल आकारासाठी १४९९ रुपये (३८ नग) आहे.

मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि.बद्दल माहिती

जागतिक स्तरावरील कार्यक्षेत्र, नेटवर्क आणि माहिती स्रोताच्या बळावर मित्सुई ही कंपनी लोखंड आणि स्टील उत्पादने खनिज आणि धातू स्रोत, पायाभूत प्रकल्प, एकात्मिक परिवहन प्रणाली, रसायने, ऊर्जा, अन्न, अन्न आणि रिटेल व्यवस्थापन, आरोग्यसेवा, ग्राहकसेवा, आयटी अॅण्ड कम्युनिकेशन व्यवसाय, कॉर्पोरेट डेव्हलपमेन्ट बिझनेस यासराख्या क्षेत्रांमधील प्रमुख आंतरराष्ट्रीय पायाभूत तसेच अन्य प्रकल्पांच्या विकासामार्फत उत्पादनाची विक्री, वर्ल्डवाईड लॉजिस्टिक्स आणि वित्तपुरवठा असा बहुपयोगी व्यवसाय करीत आहे.

मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. इंडिया प्रा. लि. ही मित्सुई मित्सुई अॅण्ड कं. लि.ची १०० टक्के उपकंपनी असून भारतात तिचे १८५ कर्मचारी आहेत.