The Hindu Business Line : I-Day: Hard-to-miss offers galore

New Delhi, Aug. 14 With India turning 60, and India Inc already on a roll, August 15 this year gets a whole new meaning. Retailers, both big and small, single- and multi-brand are introducing several promotional initiatives to lure the rejoicing citizen with increasing disposable income.

In fact, this year’s Independence Day will not be about spending a cosy day at home, but about shopping till you drop, with companies such as Luxor, Pantaloons, Mobile Store, Big Bazaar and Big Apple coming up with hard-to-miss offers.

“India is turning 60 this year. And patriotism will be celebrated in a modern manner. It’s an occasion to be proud of for every Indian, and we are just helping to enhance the feeling through our specially designed offerings for the day,” said Ms Pooja Jain, Executive Director, Luxor Writing Instruments Pvt Ltd. The company launched its special edition gift packs, consisting of combos of Luxor and Parker pens, along with notebooks, on the occasion. The gift packs have been priced between Rs 100 and Rs 250 and are being targeted at not only individuals but also corporate houses for in-house gifting. “We hope to sell around 50,000 of our specially designed notebooks and 25,000 of our Parker gift packs,” Ms Jain told Business Line.

Meanwhile, Big Bazaar, the hypermarket from the Future Group stable, has yet again managed to pull it off with offers that are ‘to die for’, through its five-day ‘Maha Bachat offer’ from August 11-15. The offer is spread across segments from food and grocery items, to footwear, apparels, electronics and jewellery. For instance, a branded 180 litre Direct Cool refrigerator is on offer for merely Rs 6,499, while an Opalware 31 piece dinner set is on offer for Rs 799 and an entire bedroom set, including a bed with storage, pillows, wardrobe and mattress that would have otherwise cost Rs 45,000 is on sale for just Rs 29,999.

The story doesn’t end here. Telecom players such as Essar Group-owned MobileStore and the State-owned MTNL are also leaving no stone unturned either. The MobileStore is offering assured gifts worth Rs 5,000 on every handset bought on the occasion of the 60th year of Independence. Gifts include Rs 5,000 cash back, Apple iPod Shuffle, IFB Microwave or a family package with options in Thailand, Nepal or India through a scratch card.

MTNL, on the other hand, has launched promotional schemes such as the Dolphin Jeevan Saathi Plan, Plan 75, new Garuda Camera Handset, and Launch of Garuda FW that would include waiver of rental fees and cheaper talktime.

Other players such as the Delhi-based retail chain Big Apple plan to avoid the rat race on the D-Day and have scheduled a week of discount offers starting from August 18. “Since everyone is offering discounts on the same day, we wanted to avoid the rush and do it a little later. In fact, it will be a double celebration for us since we recently launched our 50th outlet in the Capital,” said Mr Munish Hemrajani, Managing Director, Big Apple. The company, through its week-long promotional offer, plans to double its sales.

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