Brands
Future Group unveils ‘Free Shopping Weekend’
MUMBAI: Brand Factory over the years has created many successful promos. Despite being on sale 365 days of the year they wanted to break the stereotype of a typical Sale which happens during this period. The need of the hour was to create a big day/s for shopping, increase awareness and establish a property as unique and unprecedented. We were actually offering Free Shopping to customers apart from giving them a flat 60 per cent discount.
Future Group Brand Factory CMO Roch D’souza said, “While each offer from Brand Factory is in itself a big deal, we wanted to create a campaign that will be direct and yet communicate the bigness of the offer. As we offer 20-70 per cent discount throughout the year, this was the biggest deal that Brand Factory or any retailer has ever offered to consumers. We believe that the campaign will be an iconic property that shoppers will remember for a long time. As a brand we have made big promises and have always delivered on the promises. Our offers are transparent and the proposition is delivered at the stores. Even in the Free Shopping Weekend, we are returning more than 100 per cent to the customer.”
DDB Mudra Group EVP & business partner Karma Sanjay Panday added, “The films are based on the typical consumer behaviour of how consumers get excited about small discounts and offers while shopping online or at a retail store when they feel they have done something very smart by grabbing the best deals. The idea was to make them realize that they can actually get it free instead of looking for discounts or offers at Brand Factory ‘Free Shopping Weekend.’ We took this insight and weaved it into 2 interesting daily life situations, ‘Boss Ji Ka Chamcha’ and ‘Love Gifts’ where both the protagonists behave as if they have grabbed a smart discount/offer only to make them realize their folly later that they could have got all of it for free. Thus the campaign idea of ‘Mauka hai smart bano.’”
Brands
Skoda VW India names Nitin Selot executive director for finance, IT and legal affairs
Selot to lead finance and IT at six-brand India operation
NEW DELHI: Škoda Auto Volkswagen India Private Limited has appointed Nitin Selot as executive director for finance, IT and legal affairs, effective 19 February 2026, as the carmaker sharpens its focus on India as a core growth market.
Selot will serve as chief financial officer of the Indian arm, overseeing financial steering, governance and technology transformation at a time when the group is reworking internal processes and tightening operational discipline.
The company manages six brands in India: Skoda, Volkswagen, Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Porsche and operates manufacturing plants in Pune and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Škoda Auto board member for finance, IT and legal affairs Holger Peters, said Selot’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment, with India now the company’s most important market outside Europe. Strengthening financial controls, improving governance and building long-term resilience are central to the group’s strategy, he added.
Skoda Auto Volkswagen India managing director and CEO Piyush Arora, said the group is entering a new phase driven by productivity gains and a stronger local-for-local approach. Robust financial planning and agile IT systems, he said, will be critical to sustaining momentum.
Selot brings 35 years of leadership experience across industrial, consumer and energy businesses. He has previously held senior roles at JCB India, Compass Group India, Shell and Mars Wrigley.
He holds an ACMA from the Institute of Cost & Management Accountants of India, an MBA in finance from the Institute of Management Technology, Ghaziabad, and an ACS from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India.
