Heath Bookshop Literature and Music Festival announce full programme.

Arts group building on past success.

Applications now open for life-changing opportunity.

FabLab pilots innovative virtual reality programme.

Unemployed teenagers will get jobs help and guidance when a new pop-up shop opens in Dudley.

Teenagers across the Black Country are being urged to visit a series of free road shows promoting apprenticeships where they can sign up for work with good quality training.

Simon Hale sees the CBSO on form.

But look smart to catch Britain's poshest train.

Best of the Midlands at BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Good Food Show Summer.

Great Big Green Week launches at Shakespeare’s New Place

Safety charity begins arts workshops to teach accident prevention.

Richard Lutz witnesses a digital war over the information we crave.

Sir Howard Elton, confidante of the football world and its poverty-stricken players, sits down with disgraced FIFA boss Septic Bladder. < /strong>

Black City Records to open at Scruffy Murphy's.

The Heath Bookshop opening in Kings Heath.

Shopping ethically in the city.

Production marks Black History Month.

West Midlands announce intention to be National Centre for Musical Theatre.

Simon Hale battles traffic to get to the Alex.

Top vet gains international honours as he seeks world title.

Programme announced to coincide with World Mental Health Day.

£250,000 upgrade gives back community centre to Quinton.

Shreyas Srinivasan, Paytm's Chief Product Officer, has announced his departure from the company after more than ten years. His exit comes after Paytm sold its ticketing platform, Insider.in, to Zomato. Srinivasan played a key role in Insider.in's growth, from its inception to its merger with Paytm.

In August, Flipkart senior vice president of category and marketplace Amitesh Jha joined Swiggy as the chief executive of Instamart, while Dhruvish Thakkar, a senior director at Flipkart Epharma, moved to Swiggy the following month as assistant vice-president of Dineout – its dining out vertical.

Amazon's delivery glasses, the people warned, could be shelved or delayed indefinitely if they do not work as envisioned, or for financial or other reasons. The sources said they may take years to perfect. "We are continuously innovating to create an even safer and better delivery experience for drivers," an Amazon spokesperson said, when asked about the driver eyeglasses. "We otherwise don't comment on our product roadmap."

While revenue fell sharply, it managed to reduce loss to a third at Rs 167 crore compared with Rs 503 crore the year before, according to the company’s financials. Dealshare’s revenue from the sale of traded goods decreased by 74.7% to Rs 495.8 crore in FY24, while its marketing services income contracted 44.3% to Rs 3.3 crore.

Nazara Technologies and ONDC partnered to launch gCommerce. The platform will integrate e-commerce within games. It will provide Indian game developers with new revenue options. gCommerce will connect players to sellers on the ONDC network. Players can shop without leaving the game. The platform will roll out for developers by Q1, FY26.

India's food safety regulator directed e-commerce and quick commerce companies to follow shelf life guidelines for packaged food deliveries. The regulator emphasized a minimum remaining shelf life of 30% or 45 days upon delivery. This action follows complaints about companies not disclosing expiry dates. The regulator stressed the importance of clear expiry dates and adherence to labeling regulations.

Commenting on competing with quick commerce platforms, Nayar said that Nykaa’s quick delivery initiative is targeted towards fast-moving everyday SKUs. “For us to continue to dominate market share in these SKUs, it is important to be competitive in certain metros from a quick delivery assortment. This is being addressed by our quick delivery initiative Nykaa Now.”

Blackstone is close to acquiring Retail Opportunity Investments Corp, which owns U.S. shopping centers worth $3.4 billion including debt. Other private equity firms, including Bain Capital, are also interested. The deal could be finalized in the coming weeks if negotiations succeed. ROIC has raised rents significantly amidst high inflation, making it an attractive target.

The Food Processing sector continues to attract significant investment, with several projects from companies such as Bhuvaneshwari Foods and Beverages, Aban Beverages, and Geofast Consumer Products. These projects, located in Khurda, Baragarh, and Cuttack, will have a combined investment of Rs 1,542.04 crore and are expected to create over 1,358 jobs.

Reliance Retail is temporarily closing its Centro stores across India to revamp the format. The company plans to prioritize its own brands, like Azorte and Yousta, potentially phasing out some of the 450 local and global brands currently sold.

China's Singles' Day shopping extravaganza has lost its sparkle as consumers, wary of promotional tactics and facing economic headwinds, prioritize necessities over extravagant purchases. Major e-commerce platforms have ceased publicizing sales figures, reflecting this trend. Merchants are also scaling back, citing high advertising costs and diminishing returns, prompting a shift towards international markets.

“With customers seeking more personalized experiences, the outlet will provide a holistic experience that will assist them in making the right decisions,” said Saurabh Agarwal, managing director, Kamdhenu Paints.

Furnishka will use the new capital to advance product design and development, strengthen manufacturing and supply chain capabilities, and expand to new geographies. The company will also expand its product categories focused on premium living room, dining room and bedroom collections, open six large-format stores, and create educational content to guide customers.

Akzo Nobel India has informed that its Dutch parent Akzo Nobel NV is conducting a strategic review of its portfolio to redeploy capital towards growing its core coatings businesses. The initial focus will be on its decorative paints business in South Asia and various strategic options will be explored ranging from partnerships or joint ventures through to mergers or divestments.

TTK Prestige has promoted Venkatesh Vijayaraghavan to managing director. Venkatesh, who was previously CEO, takes over from Chandru Kalro. The company expects to grow under Vijayaraghavan's leadership, focusing on consumer delight and innovative products. Venkatesh has held leadership roles at Cavinkare and Airtel before joining TTK Prestige.

Akzo Nobel, Europe's leading paint manufacturer, is exploring options to either partner with a larger company or sell its Indian operations. Akzo Nobel's aim is to navigate the consolidation in the South Asian paint market. The company currently holds a 5% market share in India with its Dulux brand and seeks a collaborative approach for future growth.

Sheela Foam, maker of Sleepwell and Kurl-on mattresses, reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 9 crore on revenues of Rs 813 crore in Q2 FY25. The company saw a 32% year-on-year revenue increase, driven by a 19% rise in mattress volume.

Eureka Forbes reported an 83.2% YoY rise in Q2 net profit to Rs 46.67 crore, with revenues up 27.6% to Rs 672.87 crore. Growth was driven by product innovation, increased marketing, and early festive season demand.

Bengaluru-based startup Swish, recently raised USD 2 million to scale its 10-minute food delivery operations. "We have raised $2M from Accel plus some angel investors," Aniket Shah, founder, Swish confirmed to ETRetail. Shah founded Swish in August 2024, alongside Ujjwal Sukheja, and Saran S.

Food delivery giant Swiggy debuted on the stock market with a premium over its IPO price, despite ongoing financial losses. Analysts expressed caution, citing market volatility and the company's negative earnings, while acknowledging its revenue growth. Swiggy plans to use the IPO proceeds for investments in subsidiaries, technology, and marketing.

On its listing day, brokerage firms - Macquarie and JM Financial - became the first ones to initiate coverage on the debutant but came out with polar opposite views. Macquarie's initiating coverage report gave it an underperform rating with a target price of Rs 325, which indicates downside potential of 17% from IPO issue price of Rs 390.

Going by the draft papers, the company plans to utilise proceeds from the fresh issue for investing in technology and cloud infrastructure; brand marketing and business promotion; and debt payment; and funds will also be allocated for inorganic growth and general corporate purposes.

Apple shipped 12.6 million tablets in the third quarter (Q3), with a modest growth of 1.4 per cent year-over-year in the quarter and garnering 31.7 per cent market share, as global tablet shipments grew 20.4 per cent to reach 39.6 million units.

Xiaomi India President Muralikrishnan B has resigned to pursue a doctorate, marking the end of his tenure during a period of recovery for the leading smartphone company. Muralikrishnan, who joined in 2018, will transition into a six-month gardening leave. His departure follows strategic executive appointments aimed at boosting offline sales and premium market presence.

According to early estimates from Counterpoint, shipments in the wearables industry fell 30% on-year in the July-September quarter with nearly every top brand including Boat and Noise seeing sharp declines in numbers. However, shipments of premium smartwatches and audio products nearly doubled, pushing up the average selling price.

Infiniti Retail, that operates popular electronics retailer Croma, is preparing for a leadership transition. Shibashish Roy, the current Deputy CEO, will step into the role of CEO on November 18, 2024, succeeding Avijit Mitra. Mitra, who has been instrumental in Croma's growth.

The board of Pidilite -- maker of Fevicol, Dr Fixit, Fevikwik and M-Seal -- at its meeting held on Thursday approved the appointment of Vats as Managing Director Designate, who is currently Deputy Managing Director of Pidilite Industries.