MAM
Femina Miss India gets Pantaloons as title sponsor
MUMBAI: Femina Miss India has roped in Future Group’s flagship brand and retail venture Pantaloons, as the title sponsor for the 44th Femina Miss India Pageant. The deal extends for a period of three years, thus the event will henceforth be titled ‘Pantaloons Femina Miss India.’
The previous year, Pantaloons was the associate sponsor for the event, while Ponds was the title sponsor.
Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited managing director Kishore Biyani said, “The new Indian woman is conscious of her image, her fashion, as well as her abilities, and is playing a larger role in the society today. We feel that both Pantaloons and Femina are both, strong brands, catering to the needs and aspirations of this woman. Pantaloons, has therefore decided to be associated with the Femina Miss India pageant.”
Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd. managing director Vineet Jain said, “Over the years Femina Miss India has been the platform for Indian beauties to enter the world of fashion and glamour. We are delighted to enter the 44th year of Femina Miss India in partnership with Pantaloons. We are sure that this association will take the pageant to newer heights.”
Pantaloon Retail (India) Limited president marketing Sanjeev Agrawal said, “As Pantaloons stands for fresh fashion and Femina Miss India promotes fresh talent, our association is just the right fit. Together Pantaloons & Femina Miss India will groom fresh faces of India, who will take on the world.”
With a 44 year old legacy and since it first began, the Femina Miss India pageant has changed considerably. The focus has shifted from finding the prettiest face in the country to finding a set of women having the level of finesse and class required to compete internationally.
Brands
Ekart expands IKEA partnership with EV deliveries in Chennai
3PL to handle 600 plus products with 48 hour delivery via EV fleet.
MUMBAI: Flatpacks are going electric and your sofa might now arrive with a smaller carbon footprint. Ekart has expanded its partnership with IKEA to power last-mile deliveries in Chennai, doubling down on speed, scale and sustainability in one of India’s key urban markets. Under the collaboration, Ekart will manage end-to-end large-format deliveries for IKEA across the city using a 100 per cent dedicated electric vehicle fleet. The move makes Chennai the second major market after NCR-Delhi where Ekart handles IKEA’s last-mile logistics, signalling a broader rollout of EV-led supply chains.
The mandate is no small load. Ekart will oversee deliveries for over 600 products from IKEA’s catalogue, ranging from furniture to home décor—categories that demand specialised handling and precision logistics.
Backed by its technology-driven fulfilment network, Ekart is targeting deliveries within a 48-hour window, offering real-time tracking and end-to-end visibility from warehouse to doorstep. The focus is clear: faster turnarounds without compromising on control or customer experience.
The EV-first model also aligns with both companies’ sustainability goals, as urban logistics increasingly shifts towards zero-emission solutions. For IKEA, which continues to expand its omnichannel presence in India, reliable and eco-conscious last-mile delivery is becoming central to scale.
For Ekart, the partnership reinforces its positioning as an enterprise-grade logistics player in large-format commerce. The company already supports over 1,800 retail, D2C and enterprise brands, spanning last-mile delivery, part-truckload services and warehousing.
As India’s logistics ecosystem evolves, this collaboration highlights a growing trend: delivery is no longer just about distance, it’s about efficiency, experience and increasingly, emissions.
