Sudish Sharma Sonia Abrol Since liberalisation, India has been an attractive destination for most international brands. From time to time, the Indian Government reviews foreign direct investment (FDI) limits when FDI is allowed in new sectors, whereas limits of investment in the existing sectors are modified according to economic conditions and considerations. One sector that has drawn a lot of interest and attention is single-brand retailing, which was significantly liberalised in 2012 but was attached with several onerous conditions, such as local sourcing from small vendors. The extant FDI policy of India on single-brand retail envisages that each investor in this sector will sell products of a single brand only, whereas several multinational groups own multiple brands under a single entity or investment group. Foreign investors argue that having separate companies for each brand creates operating complexities, in some cases making the Indian venture unviable.
February 24 2014