Brands
What’s the Idea? Bazaar Bhav on mobiles
MUMBAI: Idea Cellular has, for the first time in India, introduced SMS-based information updates in the commodity markets using a subscription-based model.
This service – Idea Bazaar Bhav – will be available across all Idea Cellular circles in India.
Idea’s customers will now be able to receive updates about the current prices in the major exchanges as well as spot markets all over the country, 10-15 times a day, over SMS.
International markets of China, London and Tokyo, vessel positions and port information will also be covered. Idea Bazaar Bhav on mobiles will initially cover the commodity markets for oil, pulses, cotton and bullion (i.e. gold, silver etc). In the next phase grains and sugar markets will also be added to the service.
An Idea subscriber can register by sending an SMS – ‘Help’ to 1920 and start getting updates. Idea Bazaar Bhav subscription will be offered to postpaid at a great price of Rs 150 per month and prepaid customers will be able to use the dynamic and effective SMS Pull feature to get the updates as and when required.
With the Idea Bazaar Bhav service, customers will also be able to participate more actively in commodity trading including forward trading and benefit from the real-time information updates. It will also keep the traders, brokers and farmers updated about the current trends in the market. The service is being powered by ADCC Research and Computing.
Idea Cellular CEO Vikram Mehmi said, “We are extremely happy to be the first ones to offer such a service to our customers and enable greater value addition in their day to day business transactions. With the mobile subscriber base penetrating through deeper sections of India and spreading into rural areas, such a service is a boon to farmers, traders and the masses having their livelihood depend upon agro-based activities.”
ADCC Research & Computing CEO Arun Lakhani, on the other hand, said, “Bazaar Bhav will act as a force multiplier to the rural economy empowering farmers to get fair prices and avoid exploitation. This is a first step in taking the technology to villages and contributing to the village economy.”
Brands
Mars appoints Manish Syag as managing director for pet nutrition in India
FMCG veteran takes charge as managing director amid booming $2 billion market opportunity
DELHI: Mars Incorporated has elevated Manish Syag to managing director of its pet nutrition business in India, betting on two decades of FMCG expertise to capture a market poised for explosive growth.
Syag, who brings senior leadership experience from Hindustan Unilever and GSK Consumer Healthcare, joined Mars in 2024 as chief sales officer. He succeeds Salil Murthy, who has been promoted to global vice-president of enterprise transformation at Mars Pet Nutrition and will be based at the company’s London headquarters.
The appointment comes as India’s pet care market stands at what Syag calls “a defining moment”. The sector is projected to double to $7 billion in sales by 2028, up from $3.5 billion last year, according to Redseer Strategy Consultants. The number of pets in Indian households rose to 32 million in 2024 from 26 million in 2019.
“India is at a defining moment for the pet food market, which is expected to grow into a $2 billion category in a decade, evolving much as mainstream FMCG did in its early growth years, driven by access, awareness and trust,” Syag said.
Mars, which makes Pedigree, Whiskas and Sheba pet food brands, has been in India since 2002 and set up its first manufacturing facility five years later. The parent company’s other brands in chocolate and snacks include M&M’s, Snickers, Pringles and Cheez-It.
Large players in India’s pet care space include Mars, Nestlé, Heads Up For Tails and Drools. Reliance entered the category late last year, signalling growing corporate interest in a market that’s barely scratched the surface. With India’s rising pet ownership and premiumisation trends, the battle for bowls is only just beginning.
