Brands
Barbeque Nation to firm up mass media communication plans for fiscal 2015
BENGALURU: Indian casual dining restaurant chain Barbeque Nation (BN) opened its 39 restaurant in Ahmedabad on 22 October. The chain has six restaurants in Bengaluru. A typical opening is preceded and followed for a while by radio jingles, outdoor billboards within the catchment areas of the new restaurant and print ads in mainline media in that city.
So far, industry sources say that, the chain had no firm media plans or strategy for brand building. All that is going to change says BN India head of marketing Vikram Varma. The company plans to come up with marketing and brand building plans for fiscal 2015. While Varma could not disclose the ad and sales promotion budgets that BN will set aside since this is still in progress, industry estimates peg spends of restaurant chains at between 5- 8 per cent of revenue.
“On an average, we serve about 400 customers per day per restaurant,” revealed Varma to www.indiantelevision.com at the ‘Pat Chapman Grills the World’ festive season experience at BN’s flagship Indiranagar, Bengaluru restaurant. “The average area of our restaurants is about 4000 square feet, and we spend anything upwards of Rs 2 crore for setting up a restaurant,” said Varma.
“We find radio to be quite an effective medium, especially during a new launch or for an event such as the one by Pat Chatman. We use mainline print, because we find it a lot more effective, and at present haven’t allocated funds for culinary publications. We are also on social media, contact customers through SMS and direct emails. Generally we’ve found that a campaign in a city adds about 30 per cent new customers, while about 70 per cent are repeat customers,” informed Varma.
BN closed last year with revenues of about Rs 270 crore, and is expected to close this fiscal at about Rs 300 crore – based on industry estimates, this pegs its ad spends at between Rs 15 crore to Rs 25 crore for FY-2016, figures that would tempt any agency to pitch for the account. Fisheye handles the creative duties for BN. The company does its own media buying.
At the Pat Chapman Grills the World festival, Chef Chapman presents his marinades range from the British Yorkshire and Jamaican Jerk Marinades to the Spanish Valencia and Albuquerque Atomic Marinades. BN has taken Chapman’s festival to its various restaurants in NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Pune, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
Brands
Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds to open 25 stores in Q1 FY26 expansion
Push into Tier 2 cities and metros to take total footprint past 85 stores
MUMBAI: Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds has kicked off the new financial year with an ambitious retail push, announcing plans to launch 25 new stores in the first quarter of FY26 across metros and high-growth Tier 2 markets.
With this expansion, the brand’s total retail footprint is set to cross 85 stores nationwide, reinforcing its early-mover advantage in India’s fast-growing lab grown diamond segment. The move reflects a broader shift in consumer preferences, where aspirational buying is increasingly aligned with sustainability and value.
The company said the expansion is aimed at deepening its presence beyond major cities and tapping into emerging demand centres, as lab grown diamonds gain wider acceptance among Indian consumers.
Commenting on the development, Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds founder and managing director Pooja Madhavan said, “Launching 25 stores at the very start of the financial year is a strong signal of how the category is evolving. As pioneers, we are not just expanding retail, we are shaping consumer mindsets towards smarter, more sustainable luxury.” She added that the brand’s long-term goal is to scale to 200 stores while making the category accessible to modern Indian buyers.
From an execution standpoint, the company is focusing on building depth in high-potential markets rather than just expanding its footprint. Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds director retail expansion Karamjyot Singh Chawla said, “Every new store is a step towards creating a truly national footprint with consistent, premium experiences,” highlighting the role of supply chain and operational discipline in supporting growth.
On the product side, the brand is strengthening its merchandising capabilities to keep pace with rising demand. Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds co-founder and director of inventory and merchandise Nirav Bhatt said the focus is on building an agile supply system that keeps designs relevant and responsive to consumer trends.
Meanwhile, scaling operations sustainably remains a priority. Limelight Lab Grown Diamonds co-founder and director production and finance Kalpan Dalal said the company is investing in efficient production and financial discipline to support long-term expansion.
The retail rollout is backed by an omni-channel strategy, franchise partnerships and continued investment in design innovation and consumer education. Each store is designed to deliver a consistent, premium experience aligned with the brand’s positioning around transparency and modern luxury.
With a roadmap to reach 200 stores by 2027, Limelight is betting big on both scale and sentiment, aiming to carve out a larger share of India’s evolving fine jewellery market.
