Brands
Ola Cabs gets aggressive in Kolkata, to add 3,500 new taxi sign-ups
KOLKATA: Indian online car rental aggregator firm Ola Cabs is looking at expanding its operations in Kolkata. The company is planning to increase its driver sign-ups in Kolkata from the current 1,500 to 5,000 in the coming three months, informs Ola Cabs head of strategic initiatives, Puneet Singh Arora.
Ola Cabs has also switched its primary payment gateway to PayU from Zaakpay as the startup competes with Uber and Meru to offer customers the facility of seamless mobile payment transactions.
Arora said that the company does not own the cars but signs-up with the drivers who are the actual owners of the cars. The company operates its services on a revenue sharing model.
It also has an auto-rickshaw rental service in seven cities.
“Nationally, we have over one lakh driver sign-ups, of which 80 per cent are cars including sedans and hatchbacks and the rest 20,000 comprises auto rickshaws,” he said.
Arora said the organised car rental market in India is still at a nascent stage and comprises only 10 per cent of the car rental market.
When asked if the company is considering launching auto-rickshaw rentals in Kolkata or expand to other cities, Arora said, “We consider introducing new services based on the city’s requirements.”
The company is growing by 40 per cent on a month-on-month basis and wishes to retain the momentum, an official said.
The company also announced the extension of its ‘Ola Pragati’ program in Kolkata in association with Shriram Transport Finance Company, SBI and Mahindra Finance.
Brands
Reliance Retail acquires Priyanka Chopra Jonas’s haircare brand Anomaly
India’s biggest retailer bets on clean, vegan haircare as it muscles into the country’s fast-growing beauty market
MUMBAI: Reliance Retail has acquired Anomaly, the global haircare brand founded by actor and entrepreneur Priyanka Chopra Jonas, in a move that hands India’s largest retailer full ownership of one of the more internationally recognised homegrown beauty labels. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The deal covers Anomaly’s trademarks, brand assets and digital properties, giving Reliance Retail complete ownership of the brand’s intellectual property and digital ecosystem. Chopra Jonas, who launched Anomaly in 2021, will stay on as creative director, overseeing innovation, product development and brand vision.
Built on a clean, vegan and high-performance positioning at accessible price points, Anomaly has established an international presence across multiple global markets since its launch. Reliance Retail now plans to scale the brand aggressively through its expansive offline retail network and omnichannel platforms, including Tira, its beauty retail arm. India will be a priority market, with a focus on developing products tailored to Indian hair and scalp needs. The company also has its eye on North America, the United Kingdom and the Middle East.
Isha Ambani, who oversees Reliance Retail’s consumer businesses, was forthright about the strategic logic. “Bringing Anomaly into our portfolio marks a strategic step in expanding our basket of new-age, high-growth beauty brands,” she said. “Anomaly’s strong global positioning, clean formulation philosophy, and accessible pricing make it a compelling addition to our ecosystem.” She added that Reliance saw “immense potential in collaborating with Priyanka to scale the brand in India by leveraging our omnichannel capabilities and deep consumer insights, while continuing to grow its international presence.”
Chopra Jonas framed the acquisition as a milestone rather than an exit. “This is a defining moment for Anomaly,” she said. “What began as a deeply personal journey has grown into a brand with real purpose and global ambition, and Reliance Retail’s acquisition marks an exciting new chapter.” She added that Reliance’s “scale, retail expertise, and commitment to innovation will allow us to bring Anomaly to far more consumers in India and around the world.”
The acquisition slots neatly into Reliance Retail’s broader push into premium and digital-first consumer brands across fashion, beauty and personal care. In a beauty market growing at pace and increasingly receptive to clean, ingredient-conscious formulations, Anomaly gives Reliance a brand with genuine international credibility and a founder whose global profile does the marketing almost by itself. For Chopra Jonas, it means her haircare label gets the retail muscle of India’s most powerful consumer conglomerate behind it. Not a bad chapter two.
