Qwikcilver Launches The 3rd Edition Of “The Gifting Carnival” With Their Brand Woohoo, This Festive Season

* Offering e- gift cards across the country for over 200+ brands from 20+ categories to woo the consumers

Qwikcilver, a Pine Labs company, and a pioneer in end- to-end gifting has launched the third edition of its annual flagship event - “The Gifting Carnival” on their consumer platform www.woohoo.in & mobile Application.  The festival that ends on 7th November offers consumers a unique experience to choose gifting options from over 200 brands across 20+ categories. The Gifting Carnival's 2021 Edition is all set to enhance vibrancy and spread festive cheer among shoppers as they plan to gift their friends and family. 

Several popular brands from a wide variety of categories are participating in this year’s Gifting Carnival. With the rising popularity of Pay Later mode of payment, consumers can avail no-cost EMI from 20+ categories such as lifestyles, fashion, electronics, health and beauty, travel, jewellery. The minimum ticket size to get eligible for the same is Rs 4,000 and above.

Speaking on the launch Kumar Sudarsan, President - Gift, Prepaid and Stored Value, Pine Labs, said, “With the pandemic accelerating digital economy and prompting a significant change in consumer behaviour, digital gift cards are now more widely accepted today and have become ‘gift of choice’. The growth in the category is very encouraging and is a testament of consumer’s trust on digital gift cards. We understand the demand of today’s consumers and keep introducing several programs for festive seasons like Woohoo instant gifting, assured cashback, and unique deals on Woohoo. With major brands jumping on the digital gifting bandwagon, gift cards make for excellent options to surprise loved ones with, especially during the festive season. Perhaps the best gift one can give or receive is the gift of choice, and with so many options to choose from, that is exactly what we aim to encourage with the third edition of 'The Gifting Carnival' this year."

The Gifting Carnival showcases the best of brands across categories, from fashion, lifestyle, entertainment, to food, travel, and luxury, where consumers get variety to gift their family and friends during Diwali; with a unique platform to engage with consumers about their e-gift cards, and exclusive offers through their website and on https://www.woohoo.in/the-gifting-carnival

About Qwikcilver 

Qwikcilver, a subsidiary of Pine Labs, is headquartered in Bengaluru, India, with offices in Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney. It is the definitive one-stop-shop for different variants of prepaid programs, digital and digitized gift card programs, promotion programs, loyalty programs, discount programs and the like. The Qwikcilver platform has been successfully deployed across the world at our retail partner stores and online as well. Qwikcilver offers a completely secure, banking standard, transaction management platform that operates simultaneously across multi geographies, multi time zones and supports multi currencies in real time. Pioneering and creating new markets requires great flexibility and innovation. To know more visit www.qwikcilver.com 

About Pine Labs

As a leading merchant commerce platform, Pine Labs serves prominent large, mid-sized and small merchants across Asia and the Middle East. The Company's unique cloud-based platform enables it to offer a wide range of payment acceptance and merchant commerce solutions including enterprise automation systems such as inventory management and customer relationship management. Its stored value platform includes issuing, processing, and distributing digital gift cards for corporate customers around the world. In April 2021, Pine Labs acquired Fave, a consumer fintech platform that provides a smart payment app to the smart generation of consumers looking to pay and save. Fave is currently operational in 35 cities across Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia and is also available in India. Incorporated in Singapore, Pine Labs' key investors include Sequoia India, Actis Capital, Temasek, PayPal and Mastercard. To know more, visit www.pinelabs.com

Cyient Recognized As A Major Contender In The Inaugural Everest Group PEAK Matrix For 5G Engineering Services

* Cyient's focused investments in partnerships and solutions to strengthen capabilities in public and private 5G core and access networks are cited as key strengths in the study by the analysts

Cyient, a global engineering, manufacturing, and digital technology solutions company, has been named a Major Contender in the Everest Group PEAK Matrix® for 5G Engineering Services. The report highlights Cyient's focused investments in partnerships and solutions that strengthen public and private 5G core and access networks. The report also notes its commitment toward developing strong capabilities in next-generation operations support systems (OSS) and network automation,  with strengths in network infrastructure services,  network operations, and maintenance.

"Cyient is positioned as a Major Contender in Everest Group's 5G Engineering Services PEAK Matrix®  Assessment 2021. It differentiates itself through its strengths in network infrastructure operations and maintenance, which have helped it become a strong player with Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) and engineering enterprises supporting TSPs. The company has a strategic vision to build on its capabilities for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) and is actively investing in 5G CoEs and labs, which will enable it to further strengthen its 5G offerings. Cyient has also acquired IG Partners to bolster its consulting capabilities for enterprises. It has services spread evenly across the 5G engineering value chain, which is a testament to its focus on honing end-to-end 5G engineering capabilities. In addition, Cyient has a balanced onshore-offshore mix that offers clients access to resources across geographies and the benefits of onshore/nearshore delivery. Customers value Cyient's commercial competitiveness and high flexibility while delivering services."  said Akshat Vaid, Vice President, Engineering Services, Everest Group.

"We combine decades of network design experience with the latest technologies like digital twin, geospatial intelligence, and hyper-automation to offer a unique proposition. Our contribution to the rollout of 5G networks has been commended for its technical prowess and execution efficiency. We imbibe technology through partnerships, in-house development, academia, and industry collaborations with associations such as TM Forum and UBBA. This recognition from Everest is a reflection of our strong vision, capabilities, technology expertise, and the resultant market success." said Prabhakar Atla, SVP & Business Head, Communications and Utilities, Cyient.

Cyient's Communications business has been delivering Intelligent Infrastructure, Smart Operations for telecom service providers, and  Network Transformation for enterprises across industries globally.

About Cyient

Cyient (Estd: 1991, NSE: CYIENT) is a leading global engineering, manufacturing, and digital technology solutions company. We are a Design, Build, and Maintain partner for leading organizations worldwide. We enable our customers across industries to apply technologies imaginatively to solve problems that matter and stay ahead of the curve. We are committed to designing tomorrow together with our stakeholders and being a culturally inclusive, socially responsible, and environmentally sustainable organization.

Forever 21 Unveils Its All-New Flagship Store At Phoenix Market City Mall In Bangalore

Forever 21, India’s most loved, international fast fashion brand from Los Angeles, California, licensed by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. in India and SAFTA countries, unveils its new flagship store at Ground Floor, Phoenix Market City, Bangalore. This all-new Forever 21 store houses the edgiest and up-to-date trends, to make you feel fashionable and trendy this season. 

Spread across 4743 square feet at Phoenix Market City Mall, the store presents trending styles including fitted dresses; bodysuits; super crops; co-ords; jackets; cropped, satin and handkerchief tops; pop-colored accessories and footwear. That’s not all, the store hosts the latest & exclusive partnership collection inspired by the movie “Space Jam”. The store features menswear collection ranging from graphic fleece, cargo, jacket, printed tees, shorts, etc. 

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Mukesh Soni, Business Head (India), Forever 21 said, “We are excited to unveil our all-new flagship Forever 21 store at Bangalore’s landmark shopping destination, `Phoenix Market City Mall’. At Forever 21, we are excited to bring the newest runway and catwalk trends, from Los Angeles to the fashionable young Indians at Forever 21’s hall-mark `sweet prices’. For our customers, we wish to keep up with the fashion setting including global requirements of comfort clothing.  

The Grand Launch at Forever 21: The brand is all ready to treat its fans with a series of exciting offers you simply cannot afford to miss! The First 100 shoppers will get an exclusive Forever 21 T shirt for just Rs. 99.The store will offer an attractive 21% off for the first one week from the Grand Launch on 23rd October. 

About Forever 21: 

Forever 21, Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, California, is a fashion retailer of women's, men's and kids clothing and accessories and is known for offering the hottest, most current fashion trends at a great value to consumers. This model operates by keeping the store exciting with new merchandise brought in daily. Founded in 1984, Forever 21 operates more than 550 stores in 27 countries around the world.  

For more information, visit www.forever21.in 

About ABFRL: 

ABFRL is part of a leading Indian conglomerate, The Aditya Birla Group. With revenue of Rs. 5,249 cr. spanning retail space of 8.4 million sq. ft. (as of March 31, 2021), it is India’s first billion-dollar pure-play fashion powerhouse with an elegant bouquet of leading fashion brands and retail formats.The Company has a network of 3,212 stores across approximately 31,000 multi-brand outlets with 6,800+ point of sales in department stores across India (as of 31st March 2021). 

It has a repertoire of leading brands such as Louis Philippe, Van Heusen, Allen Solly and Peter England established for over 25 years. Pantaloons is one of India’s largest fast-fashion store brands. 

The Company holds exclusive online and offline rights to the India network of California-based fast fashion brand Forever 21. The International Brands portfolio includes - The Collective, India's largest multi-brand retailer of international brands, Simon Carter and select mono-brands such as American Eagle, Ralph Lauren, Hackett London, Ted Baker and Fred Perry. 

Van Heusen Innerwear, Athleisure and Activewear are establishing themselves as India’s most innovative and fashionable brand. The Company’s foray into branded ethnic wear business includes Jaypore and strategic partnerships with Designers ‘Shantanu & Nikhil’, ‘Tarun Tahiliani’ and ‘Sabyasachi’. 

The First Make in India Device In Air Disinfection & Purification Technology

* Jaitra Devices & Systems LLP launches the first Make in India product of “Bipolar Air Disinfectant & Purifier”

Hyderabad Based Jaitra Devices & Systems LLP has announced the launch of its new system the “Bipolar Air Disinfectant & Purifier”, in the country. The device has been unveiled by Shri Kishan Reddy – Hon’ble Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region of India who graced the occasion as chief guest at an event in Hyderabad today. Dr.GSK Velu – Chairman Trivitron Healthcare Group, largest Indian medical technology company in the World and Chairman  Maxivision Group of Eye Hospitals, Dr.Bollineni Bhaskar Rao – Founder, MD & CEO, KIMS Hospital, have graced the event as guests of Honour.

The new “Bipolar Air Disinfectant & Purifier device can inactivate pathogens like SARS-COV-2 (COVID19), Norovirus, Influenza, Legionella virus, Rhinovirus, Varicella zoster virus, TB bacteria, Staphylococcus bacteria, E Coli bacteria, Pseudomonas bacteria, Bacillus cereus bacteria, fungi and molds.

With this device, the company has introduced the first Make in India Bipolar Ionization technology in the country. The technology has been used to eliminate pathogens in food in the US since the 1970s. In the current age, Bipolar Ionization technology has been proven to be a potent tool against the SARS-COV-2 (COVID19).

Speaking on the occasion Dr.Kasu Prasad Reddy, Co-Chairman, Jaitra Devices & Systems LLP & Co-Chairman & Founder of MaxiVision Eye Hospitals Group said that Jaitra Devices & Systems LLP’s “Bipolar Air Disinfectant & Purifier”, has been testified effective against various pathogens, viruses, bacteria, and fungus.  It is the first-ever Make in India product to adopt the Bipolar Ionization technology, which works against harmful microbes by starting a chemical reaction on the cell membrane surface of the viruses and bacteria making them dead.

Jaitra Devices & Systems LLP's USP is to identify new difficulties and resolve diverse concerns in air quality through technology by adopting an evidence-based approach. We have been successful in establishing a new standard in the global disinfection area for eliminating microorganisms and improving indoor air quality. The cutting-edge solutions are in line with worldwide disinfection standards.The organization employs a cohesive team of technical professionals and prompt and hassle-free customer support.

“Our aim has always been to provide the Indian customers with the most cost effective, relevant and reliable services which not only safeguard against diseases but also improve the overall quality of life for them,” says Dr. Kasu Prasad Reddy. 

Device manufactured by Jaitra Devices & Systems LLP's is a must in the sitting rooms of every house, office spaces, hospitals, schools, etc., while also at places like airports, railway stations, subway, etc. The device does not make use of chemicals or mercury to clean the air or expend any heavy metals in the environment which makes it an extremely safe and environment-friendly alternative to the existing air disinfectant and purifiers in the market.

CAPTION: Shri Kishan Reddy – Hon’ble Union Minister of Tourism, Culture and Development of North Eastern Region of India unveiling the Jaitra’s FIRST MAKE IN INDIA product “Bipolar Air Disinfectant & Purifier system, an Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Fungal, Anti-Viral, SARS-COV-2 (Anti-Covid), Anti-Pathogen disinfectant device in India, Dr.Kasu Prasad Reddy – Co-Chairman of Jaitra Devices & System LLP is also seen in the picture.

Rajneesh Karnatak Assumes Charge As Executive Director Of Union Bank Of India

Shri Rajneesh Karnatak assumed charge as Executive Director of Union Bank of India. 

Shri Rajneesh Karnatak was the Chief General Manager of Punjab National Bank. A post-graduate in Commerce and a Certified Associate from Indian Institute of Bankers (CAIIB), Shri Karnatak comes with a rich banking experience of over 27 years along with diverse Branch and Administrative Office experience.  

As General Manager in erstwhile Oriental Bank of Commerce, he has headed large Corporate Credit Branches and verticals such as Credit Monitoring, Digital Banking and Mid Corporate Credit. Post the amalgamation of Oriental Bank of Commerce into Punjab National Bank, he started heading the Credit Review & Monitoring Division and Corporate Credit Division. 

Shri. Karnatak has attended various training and Leadership Development Programs from IIM-Kozhikode and JNIDB Hyderabad and has also taken part in Advance Management Programme at IMI (International Management Institute) Delhi and IIBF (Indian Institute of Banking & Finance). He was a part of 1st batch of Senior Officers selected by Bank Board Bureau for Leadership Development Program of IIM Bangaore & Egon Zehnder. He carries with him credit appraisal skills including project funding and Working Capital funding along with Risk Management with specific reference/ special emphasis on Credit Risk. 

He has also served as a Nominee Director on behalf of PNB on the Board of PNB Housing Finance Ltd. and ISARC (India SME Asset Reconstruction Company Limited). 

Glam Up This Festive Season As Phoenix Marketcity Launches The Much Awaited Phoenix Festival Season 5

With the festivities right around the corner, Phoenix Marketcity announces its much-awaited “Phoenix Festival Season 5”. Spanning over 3 months, from October to December 2021. This festival will prove to be nothing less than a mega bonanza for shoppers with exciting festive offers on ethnic fashion, cosmetics, jewellery, and electronic brands. It is going to be all about bouncing back to the social life we all missed. 

Phoenix Marketcity is a home to more than 300 brands for customers to revamp their wardrobe, upgrade the home appliances and home décor and to have a joyous shopping experience with several amazing offers on almost every brand!  

Phoenix Festival - Season 5 brings to you a larger-than-life experience with elegant décor and large installation for the customers to have a picture perfect insta post and glam up their shopping experience.  

The glamor isn’t complete without bright and colourful popup stores. And to get the feel of festive shopping, Season 5 offers the much-awaited Festive Bazaar and Ethnic Fest to shop your ethnic clothes, home décor, festive lantern and diyas. 

Festive Bazaar: Festive and Home Décor popups -A one-of-its-kind “Festive Bazaar” from 15th October to 7th November with the aim of offering 1,000+ products pertaining to home and festive décor, designer lanterns and diyas, festive lights silver masterpieces, art, gifting, exquisite jewellery, designer ethnic wear, making it an ideal destination for Diwali.  

This is not it. To add up to the excitement, the mall is also offering its customers to win prizes worth Rs. 1 crore, making the festival more rewarding than ever before. For the customers to win these awards, all they need to do is shop for Rs. 50,000 or above, and get assured gifts like Gold Coins, Mobile Phones, Swarovski Products, TV, Refrigerator and much more. 

Commenting on the launch of Phoenix Shopping Festival Season 5, Mr. Gajendra Singh Rathore, Senior Centre Director said, “Phoenix Marketcity is the right place to be this festive season, especially since we are creating the right festive atmosphere for our customers who have not celebrated any festivals during the year due to pandemic, but now with Diwali, we want people to bounce back. Hence, we have come up with the Festive Bazar, large installations, elegant décor, and exciting offers for the festivities, wherein we want our customers to enjoy their shopping while we take care of all the Covid-19 preventive measures constantly to give our customers a safe and happy shopping experience.” 

South African Tourism Unveils Dynamic Tourism Recovery Strategy For India At The VirtuallyYoursSouthAfrica 2021 Roadshow

* The roadshow concluded with 1,871 Indian buyers, 99 SA suppliers and 9,343 meetings

* Direct flights and e-visas for the Indian market are top priorities for the tourism board

* India retains pre-pandemic spot as one of the top 3 international focus markets

Inspired by border openings and increased confidence in travel, South African Tourism held their maiden virtual roadshow in India to capitalize on the strong consumer and corporate traveller demand in the country. The ‘VirtuallyYoursSouthAfrica’ roadshow is expected to boost tourism economies in both nations, especially as the South African national tourism board focuses on bullishly driving strategic recovery measures in India.

According to the Tourism Sector Recovery Plan put together by the tourism board earlier this year, key focus areas remain re-igniting demand, protecting & rejuvenating supply and strengthening capacity. The recently concluded roadshow in India is the first of many efforts to reignite international travel demand, in order to meet a global target of 2.6 million visitors in FY21-22.

99 South African suppliers were part of the trade delegation who exhibited their products and services in India from 20th to 22nd October 2021. They reiterated the tourism board’s emphasis on diversifying geographies and expanding product range for the India market. Of the 99 suppliers, over 41 were exhibiting in India for the first time and 12 were women-owned enterprises.

With a heavy emphasis on empowering small businesses and boosting the local economy, this roadshow also saw the inclusion of 31 SMMEs – more than double the number that participated in the 2020 roadshow. In addition to SMMEs, representatives from accommodation establishments, destination management companies, experiences, 7 South African Provinces, VFS and airlines showcased their product and services to 1,871 Indian buyers.

“India is a high potential source market for us, at South African Tourism. In fact, the market has been recognized as one of our key international focus markets, along with China and Nigeria. While India has traditionally been a multigenerational, family source market, we see huge opportunity to leverage the destination amongst millennials as well. They are looking for an adventure and with 3000+ adventure activities, South Africa is known to provide one at every turn! We hope to welcome more and more Indian travellers to have safe, sustainable and memorable holidays, as well as a taste of our warm hospitality and local culture,” said Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – MEISEA, South African Tourism.

Commenting on the Roadshow, she said, “I am thrilled at the response we received at our maiden virtual roadshow – I believe that the partnerships forged here will be instrumental in setting the tone as we direct efforts towards travel recovery in India. I am grateful to all those who participated from the trade fraternities in India and South Africa – you are our pillar of support and motivate us to drive excellence.”

In line with their evolved recovery plan, South African Tourism India has identified certain key focus areas for the forthcoming year. These include aggressively promoting their new regions, building on the destination’s position as the adventure capital of the world, providing increased value for money itineraries and catering to niche traveller segments like runners, bikers, sports enthusiasts etc. The tourism board is also hoping to welcome a large number of Indian cricket fans into the destination during India’s Test tour of South Africa in December 2021.

Sharing further plans, Ms. Sthembiso Dlamini, Acting CEO & COO at South African Tourism stated, “We understand that easy accessibility is a key consideration when planning travel. With that in mind, we want to assure Indian travellers, corporates and our trade partners that we are actively pursuing opportunities to initiate direct flights from India to South Africa. We also intend to make good on our promise to roll-out e-visas for the India market very soon.”

Given the increase in Indian traveller demand, Emirates, Qatar Airways and Ethiopian Airlines have regular flights scheduled from India to South Africa, with layovers at Dubai, Doha and Addis Ababa respectively. Additionally, Air Seychelles is also scheduled to resume flights from India to South Africa.

South Africa is currently open to all international tourists, including Indians. Travellers intending to visit the country will be required to produce a negative PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test, not older than 72 hours from the time of departure from the country of origin to South Africa.