A Bi-monthly E-magazine for MATERNITY, BABY & KIDS Sector Vol.02 No. 1
emagazine.mommybabytimes.com
Bodycare Apparels- India’s leading manufacturer for Infant wear, Thermals & Loungewear....8
Nov-Dec, 2019
Pigeon India celebrates 10 successful years in India....57
HKTDC – Hong Kong Toys, Baby Products, Stationery and Licensing Fairs concluded successfully....54
The Baby Station: A one-stop shop for the authentic and finest brands....14
Organic baby wear and kids wear: Making a new wave....50
For Private Circulation Only
Mommy & Baby TIMES
Mommy & Baby TIMES
CONTENT
INTERVIEWS
08 Bodycare Apparels- India's leading manufacturer for Infant wear, Thermals & Loungewear
10 Nobel Hygiene: Building India’s Leading Diaper Brands
22 Woo Woo Diapers: A Homegrown Diaper Brand
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The Baby Station: A one-stop shop for the authentic and finest brands
Maiden Distributors ventures into the baby care segment with its division ‘Sohii’
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Skillmatics: Bringing a range of play-based educational products
MontyyBucks: Bringing PURA kiki’s feeding products from USA
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Sophie la girafe : “We have grown quite organically and that is the best recognition we can get”
40 Vision Medicare Industries: Leading in a New Phase of Growth in Wet Wipes Manufacturing
Little Elly: Defining early childhood education with Concept Preschools
Beddy: India’s first specialized baby and child mattress by Centuary Mattresses
PRODUCT WATCH
24 Mattel makes first ever Barbie based on Indo-American scientist Nalini Nadkarni
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Timios introduces Belligo- Prebiotic Nuna introduces TRIV stroller and Probiotic Bites for Kids
46 Silver Cross to introduce its baby wear collection
Ÿ Mother Sparsh introduces after bite Turmeric Balm ................................49
Ÿ Sphero introduces Mini Activity Kit .......................................................69
Ÿ Silver Cross introduces a new pram system-Pacific Autograph ..............66
Ÿ LeapFrog Expands Infant and Preschool Collection with
Ÿ PlayShifu Announces New Augmented Reality Toys ...............................67
New Learning Toys................................................................................70
Ÿ Stokke launches Xplory Balance Stroller ................................................68
Ÿ Stokke introduces Clikk High Chair ........................................................71
Ÿ Magformers introduces Max Playground Construction Set .....................68
Ÿ Easywalker adds Harvey2 Premium stroller to its collection ...................71
Mommy & Baby TIMES
CONTENT
FEATURE
TRADE MATTER
Hamleys starts its store in Noida, Goa, Kanpur and Delhi in succession....72
Toon Mart starts its 8th store in Kandivali, Mumbai....73
Beccos starts its stores in multiple locations in succession....74
Toys “R” Us launches its store in Chandigarh, Pune and Thane....73
50 Organic baby wear and kids wear: Making a new wave
NEWS
56 54 HKTDC – Hong Kong Toys, Baby Products, Stationery and Licensing Fairs concluded successfully
Target to power the new website of Toys “R” Us India's fastest-growing Mom & Baby Care Brand, The Moms Co., gets USD 5 mn in Series B funding....58
56 Hasbro launches ‘Grab and Go’ Gaming range in India
E-Magazine
Mattel announces sustainable sourcing principles....59
57 Pigeon India celebrates 10 successful years in India Ÿ Bed Bath & Beyond® introduces first-ever children's
private label home furnishings brand: Marmalade™....61 Ÿ TheAsianparent to launch its own baby care line ....... 62 Ÿ Disney’s Frozen 2 collaborates with 67 brands...........63 Ÿ Lovevery raises USD 20 million from Silicon Valley's biggest names...............................................64 Ÿ Miku smart baby monitor going for international retail expansion .........................................................64 Ÿ Medela comes up with the Symphony Rental Program..65
Myntra brings kids wear brand OshKosh B’Gosh to India in partnership with Tablez....60
FirstCry enters into kids education sector by acquiring Oi Playschool....61
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Mommy & Baby TIMES
INTERVIEW
Bodycare Apparels- India's leading manufacturer for Infant wear, Thermals & Loungewear Started in 1992 by Mr. Satish Gupta, Bodycare International Ltd. has made its mark as being country's leading manufacturer and supplier of Kids Undergarments, Infant wear, Thermals & Loungewear for the complete family. Mommy & Baby Times (MBT) interacts with Mr. Mithun Gupta, Director at Bodycare International Ltd., delving in about the product range, market reach and the significant developments at the company. Founded in the year 1992 by Mr. Satish Gupta, the company today enjoys the distinction of being the country's leading manufacturer and supplier of Kids Undergarments, Infant wear, Thermals & Loungewear for the complete family. With a constant thrust on cutting edge research and technology, the company is credited with pioneering products that have revolutionized the innerwear apparel industry. Under the astute leadership of a dynamic visionary, our founder- Mr. Satish Gupta and being managed by myself along with competent and distinguished Co-Directors- Mr. Sachin Gupta and Mr. Amit Gupta, our company's reach spans across all states making it the country's top five innerwear brands.
Take us through the product range of the company. With the products tailored to suit the changing tastes, time and trends, the brand caters to the middle, upper middle and upper class – providing high-quality products at affordable prices.
Mr. Mithun Gupta, Director at Bodycare International Ltd
January 28, 2020
Starting from 'Infants', there are Innerwear & Apparels and for 'Kids', we have Innerwear, Apparels, Loungewear & Thermals. In the 'Men & Women' category, there are Loungewear, Thermals and Apparels. In particular, the Infantwear range covers- Innerwear comprising of Vests, briefs, panty, and bloomer and Outerwear has T-shirts, sets, capris, shorts, rompers, and frocks.
MBT: Kindly trace the business story of Bodycare and the significant milestones the company has achieved in the three decades of its business operations.
Mithun Gupta: Driven by the values of trust, quality and excellence, Bodycare International Ltd. in the past two decades has become a force to reckon with in the innerwear market. www.mommybabytimes.com
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“We have a strong online presence… Furthermore, apart from a strong presence in 15000+ brick and mortar stores across India, we are also present in ten exclusive brand outlets”
“One of the recent developments at our company is the exclusive anti-bacterial technology that we have introduced in Bodycare thermals… we seek to continue to bring products in accordance with the trends and demands in the market.”
Share some details about the raw material procurement and manufacturing of the products.
How would you describe your various retailing and distribution strategies?
Our manufacturing units are located at Noida, Delhi and Dehradun and 80% of the raw materials are manufactured inhouse under our strict quality control management team. Coming to the remaining 20% of the raw materials, we also procure and source from the best possible markets in terms of quality and where it is also available in abundance.
As we have a strong network of 300+ distributors and 15000+ retailers, we keep them unified through exciting trade schemes and attractive offers so as to keep them motivated throughout. Also, we make sure to take their valuable feedback and get it implemented in the trade whenever it is required.
What is the present physical and online market presence of the brand?
Could you please outline on the recent developments and future plans of the company?
We have a strong online presence and our products are listed in almost all the top e-portals such as Amazon, Flipkart, etc. Furthermore, apart from a strong presence in 15000+ brick and mortar stores across India, we are also present in ten exclusive brand outlets and the count is on.
One of the recent developments at our company is the exclusive anti-bacterial technology that we have introduced in Bodycare thermals. In the future, we seek to continue to bring products in accordance with the trends and demands in the market.
How do you foresee the potential of growth in the baby and kids fashion segment in the Indian market? Where do you see Bodycare positioned in the next five years?
Kindly outline on the kind of recognition that Bodycare has received in the market. Reflecting a style that echoes the sentiments and aspirations of the urban dweller, Bodycare International Ltd. has become synonymous with providing stylish products to fashion-savvy consumers who value money and aspires for quality products. We are one of the most trusted brands across India, especially for kids, and we hold the leading position for thermal wear in India.
We foresee the enormous potential of growth in the baby and kids fashion segment in the Indian market. As we are already leaders in kids' innerwear and thermals category, we aim to be the leading brand in the kids' apparels, night wear, and lounge wear industry. MBT
24, 25 & 26 August, 2020
Hall 11, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi
Mommy & Baby Fair
www.mommybabyfair.com
A B2B Show for Maternity, Baby & Kids
Focus areas at Mommy & Baby Fair:
Baby Care Zone
Organised by:
Feeding & Nursing Zone
Tulip 3P Media Pvt. Ltd.
Diapering Zone
Carrier Zone Media Partner:
www.tulip3pmedia.in
Nutrition Zone Mommy & Baby TIMES www.mommybabytimes.com
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Fashion Zone
Toy Zone
Concurrent Event: www.hydpex.com
Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES
INTERVIEW
Nobel Hygiene: Building India’s Leading Diaper Brands Nobel Hygiene is one of the leading disposable hygiene care products manufacturer in the country. Nobel Hygiene, established in 2000, introduced adult diapers in the Indian market, and over the years has continuously innovated to create world-class hygiene products for adults under the brand name 'Friends' and baby care products under the brand name 'Teddyy'. Mommy & Baby Times (MBT) had a detailed interaction with Mr. Kamal Johari, Founder at Nobel Hygiene, regarding the presence of the company, its inhouse brands and the manufacturing capacity of the company. other countries. By 2009, we decided to start manufacturing diapers to enforce high quality standards instead of relying on suppliers. Nobel Hygiene introduced adult diapers to the Indian market, and over the years has continuously innovated to create world-class hygiene products for adults under the brand name 'Friends' and has a vast product range of baby care products under the brand name 'Teddyy' and 'Snuggy'. Currently, Nobel Hygiene has a pan India presence and is a leading manufacturer of disposable hygiene care products. Apart from manufacturing its own labels, Nobel Hygiene also manufactures diapers for private label requirements and also exports to countries like Australia, Malaysia, UAE and parts of Africa, etc. MBT: Kindly brief us up about the product range of your company.
KJ: Nobel Hygiene is one of the leading disposable hygiene care products manufacturer in the country with an ISO 9001:2015 and CE certiďŹ cation, headquartered in Mumbai. We have developed our products with the best quality of raw materials available across the world to provide maximum protection to adults and babies. The adult disposable diaper brand 'Friends', is the undisputed leader amongst all adult diaper brands, and is made adhering to the highest product quality standards.
Mr. Kamal Johari, Founder at Nobel Hygiene
November 11, 2019 MBT: It's been eighteen years since the foundation stone of your brand was laid which is an incredible milestone; please take us through the business journey and a brief history of Nobel Hygiene Products.
'Teddyy' baby diaper is the largest Indian baby diaper brand. These baby diapers are specially designed keeping in mind the Indian baby body structure and Indian weather conditions. They
Kamal Johari: Nobel Hygiene was pioneered in 1999, and the initial business of the company was to import products from www.mommybabytimes.com
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are carefully shaped for the best fit and comfort, offering freedom of movement with optimum absorption capacity. 'Snuggy' baby diaper was acquired by Nobel Hygiene from Godrej in 2018. It is India's first baby diaper brand, which is synonymous with 'Indian Diaper'. The brand has a very strong goodwill and Nobel Hygiene hopes to bring the brand name justice.
efficient R&D base. A lot of thought goes into making our diapers a perfect fit for Indian consumers and is Indian climate compatible. The continuous R&D from designing our diapers to machine design and all the rapid improvements which we continuously carry out has given confidence to both our consumers as well as our sales team. Being a long standing brand against three multinational brands would not have been possible had we compromised on quality and not focused on R&D in a consistent way.
“Nobel Hygiene introduced adult diapers to the Indian market,… has continuously innovated to create world-class hygiene products for adults under the brand name 'Friends' and has a vast product range of baby care products under the brand name 'Teddyy' and 'Snuggy'.”
“Nobel Hygiene has a pan India presence through a number of appointed superstockists and stockists catering to all the markets online and offline… the company has a very strong presence in all the metros, Tier I and Tier II towns.”
MBT: Nobel Hygiene recently acquired the rights of Snuggy that earlier belonged to Godrej Consumer Products Limited (GCPL), would you please elaborate?
MBT: What are your go-to market and distribution strategies that the brand adopts before entering the market with a particular product/product-range?
KJ: Currently, Nobel Hygiene has a pan India presence through a number of appointed super-stockists and stockists catering to all the markets online and offline. Backed by a dedicated professional work force, the company has a very strong presence in all the metros, Tier I and Tier II towns.
KJ: The Snuggy acquisition fit well in our product portfolio and our competence in being India's premium disposable manufacturing. This acquisition marks a full circle for me, as the inspiration to enter the disposable care market, came from a brief stint distributing Snuggy diapers, even before the brand was sold to GCPL in the year 2003. MBT: Could you please share details about the market reach of Teddyy products?
MBT: How do you think the participation in B2B exhibitions helps a company in strengthening its brand name in the market?
KJ: Teddyy is the largest Indian/homegrown baby diaper brand. According to a market research report by Euromonitor International published in March 2018, Teddyy is at about 5% market share.
KJ: B2B exhibitions aid in bringing us closer to our customers and our industry peers. It also gives us a great platform to understand the industry innovations, trends and helps us in looking out to explore more.
MBT: Considering the fact that there are numerous International companies that have presence in the Indian market which have a similar product line, what do you think are the factors that give an edge to Nobel hygiene Products?
MBT: How do you foresee the growth of Indian diaper manufacturing industry 5- 10 years from now?
KJ: There are immense growth opportunities in the Indian diaper industry. The diaper manufacturing industry in the domestic market is building up consistently and as we see, it will continue to grow at a CAGR of around 26-28% for the next decade and a half. MBT
KJ: We believe in good quality and deliver the same, which is one prominent reason why we are highly invested in having an
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The Baby Station: A one-stop shop for the authentic and finest brands The founder and partner of The Baby Station, Sheetal Chopra spoke to Mommy & Baby Times (MBT), chalking out the latest developments which is their recent entry into the ecommerce space as well as on their upcoming store at Ghittorni, Delhi and the way forward for The Baby Station. consumer shop a lot more consciously and also have a variety of options to choose from amongst a wide sea of homegrown and international brands.
December 10, 2019
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Sheetal Chopra, founder and partner of The Baby Station
ocated in Baani Square, Gurgaon, The Baby Station is an all-inclusive retail destination for a mother and mother to be for all of the baby care essentials. The assortment of products covered at the outlet ranges from toiletries and baby care essentials, feeding products, bedding, and clothing for babies and maternity wear. The store also houses a range of activity based toys, soft-toys, baby gyms, strollers, prams, walkers, nursery furniture, and a beautiful gift collection.
“The Baby Station is all about bringing authentic and finest brands and products to parents. We house more than 50 brands and more than 10,000 SKUs.” As about the notable trends in the baby care and maternity sector, she says, “the consumers have started embracing products which are innovative and practical and is unlike from the conventional products. The growing number of working women has upsurge huge demand for products such as breast pumps as it makes the job of a mother so much easier. Since the sector is fast evolving with a number of innovations taking
Started around five years ago as a toy store, the store now has an all-in range of baby care products. Sheetal Chopra affirms “tapping on the need of accessibility to high-quality and certified baby products, The Baby Station is all about bringing authentic and finest brands and products to parents. We house more than 50 brands and more than 10,000 SKUs and I would also like to mention that we have ventured into the ecommerce space.”
Latest consumer trends With the digital age taking over and deciding a lot for how millennial consumers make their purchasing decisions as there is no dearth of resources and information on how to choose the right kind of products and brands. Basically, those days are gone when a consumer would exhibit a sense of brand loyalty and also just go for what is majorly available. Now, the millennial www.mommybabytimes.com
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place, we educate the parents about what is available, how it is useful to them. And with that, it has also marked a clear shift in the way parents make purchasing decisions and has changed their preferences with regard to a particular product/service from any brand.”
Being on the rise Speaking about the growth of the retail company, “the retail store was started just five years ago and it has been a rewarding journey both in terms of commerce and fulfillment. I firmly believe that if one puts his/her heart and soul into a venture, it will yield good results. Interacting with the customers has helped a great deal in understanding the most basic needs of a parent in taking care of their little one. Having a good amount of stock of the products which is well-displayed is one of the prerequisites in managing a retail business efficiently and we try to inculcate that in the way we work.”
Touching upon the ecommerce aspect, she says “we've just entered into the ecommerce space and the main reason behind that was we have a lot of products which are not easily accessible. We seek our customers to have a seamless shopping experience whether they are shopping from our store or from our website. We frequently get customers outside of Delhi, Gurgaon, such as from nearby areas like Jaipur or Chandigarh. This was the primary motivation behind starting our own online shopping platform for the customers living far away.”
Highlighting the importance of a welcoming and well-trained staff, she says “the presence of a well-trained and skilled store staff cannot be emphasized enough. Our staff undergoes a major training session to be well-informed to be able to educate the mothers and answer the queries that new parents might have, especially in the case of their first-borns. They are equipped to answer questions of a new mother and to help them through the entire shopping, especially, when they are preparing their hospital bag of the basic essentials.”
“with the second store; we wish to present to our customers our beautiful collection of furniture products… Essentially, it is going to encompass all the essentials under one roof for a mother to be, new mothers, babies and toddlers.”
“Having a good amount of stock of the products which is well-displayed is one of the prerequisites in managing a retail business efficiently”
Strategising the right way for a successful retail venture
New development- Second store coming soon in Delhi
Being well-organized and appropriate store formats to cater different customers' segments per se are the key factors for any retail business to have a smooth sailing. The ability to align well with the shifts in the market is also one of the important elements of the retail business model as the value proposition and operating model together are responsible for the success of any business model.
There is an upcoming store of The Baby Station at Ghittorni, Delhi that is going to be a large format retail destination spanning over 2,500 sq ft. About the imminent store, she informs “this is a next step for our retail brand. We had recently launched our in-house range of nursery furniture items and with the second store; we wish to present to our customers our beautiful collection of furniture products. The range of furniture includes cots and cradles, wardrobe, changing tables and so on. We are also going to expand our range of baby furniture with the new store. Essentially, it is going to encompass all the essentials under one roof for a mother to be, new mothers, babies and toddlers, having all the product categories that we house at our Gurgaon store.”
About the retailing strategies and on the different retailing strategies to keep in mind, she says “one of our key value propositions is to have a suitable physical layout of the store and the arrangement of merchandise for the customers to have a great shopping experience. We have set up a proper wellstructured system and we have our panel of advisors to help us expand. Having abundant sourcing and being well-stocked is one of the top qualities of a good retail business model. With a proper system to glean a 360-degree view of the customers, containing information such as their product and brand preferences helps us a lot in strategizing and planning.” MBT
Other avenue: venturing into the ecommerce space Realizing the significance of the omnichannel approach, The Baby Station had started their e-commerce business some time ago this year. www.mommybabytimes.com
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Maiden Distributors ventures into the baby care segment with its division ‘Sohii’ Maiden Distributors limited, a seasoned distributor of healthcare and pharmaceutical products has recently embarked on its journey in the baby care sector with its new business division- Sohii. Mommy & Baby Times had a detailed interaction with Abhay Goel, Head Business Development at Maiden Distributors Ltd., who takes us through a brief history of the company, the vision behind their business enterprise, and the baby care brands they are distributing in the Indian market. November 25, 2019
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aiden Distributors is a leading name as the distributor for major pharmaceutical, skin care & health nutrition companies in India. Their business arm- Sohii is to cater and distribute the baby care brands and it is the exclusive distributor of international brands such as ZoLi, Dr. Ato, B&B, Little Rawr and Inujirushi for the Indian market. MBT: Kindly brief us up about Maiden Distributors.
Abhay Goel: Maiden Distributors has been in this business for the last 36 years, and in its journey, has partnered with the leading pharmaceutical and healthcare companies, including Ranbaxy Labs, Sun Pharmaceuticals, GlaxoSmithKline, PďŹ zer and many more. Maiden is a family-run enterprise started in the year 1983, and since then, it's been involved in distributionproviding products to more than 3000 pharmacies and has a network of 100+ dealers across India. We have recently started a business division- Sohii to represent the baby, beauty and healthcare products in India, majority of which are the imported from Japan, Korea and USA as of now.
Abhay Goel, Head Business Development at Maiden Distributors Ltd.
that the market is growing; however, it is still untapped in terms of opportunities to bring innovative products to the Indian market. There is a rise in demand for innovative products and brands which the millennial generation is asking for. This is the primary reason of our entry into the baby care market, and in fact, the 0 to 4 years segment is the biggest one in India as compared to any country. So, that's why we are planning to bring in more baby care products, different innovative products which are unavailable in India.
MBT: What made you enter the baby care sector?
MBT: Which are the international baby care brands that Sohii is distributing in the Indian market?
AG: We have been assessing and analyzing the baby care market segment from the previous six to seven years. After gaining knowledge and experience in marketing and distributing the baby skin care products, we became aware of the fact www.mommybabytimes.com
AG: We have partnered with Inujirushi, Dr. Ato, B&B and ZoLi to bring and distribute their products in the Indian market. 18
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These brands are from different parts of the world, while Inujirushi is from Japan, both- B&B and Dr. Ato are of Boryung Medience which is a Korean company and ZoLi is a USA-based brand. ZoLi was founded in the year 2008 and we have started distributing its products in the Indian market from 2018 onwards. The brand has a variety of items including the stainless collection of water bottles, food containers, and stackable containers; dishware; baby care products including feeding, teethers, and sippy cups; a variety of bags including backpacks and insulated lunch bags; and a range of accessories. In total, there are about 60 products of ZoLi that are available in India.
AG: For several products in the skincare and healthcare segment, we are distributing it through our partners who are into pharmaceutical and healthcare distribution and with whom we've been associated with since long. For the product categories which are new to us such as homecare and clothing, we have partnered with baby care distributors. We are selecting distributors locally and regionally, who can do their own offline marketing and sales in their respective regions. And on the online platform, we have partnered with leading online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, FirstCry and Hopscotch.
“Our goal for the next two years is to bring at least 7 to 8 international brands which are ingenious and innovative to the Indian mothers and babies.”
Dr. Ato was started in the year 1979 and it offers a line of hypoallergenic baby skincare products consists of wet tissue, lotion, hair shampoo, body soap and diaper cream, massage oils. There are three types of lotions, five types of wet tissues, so a complete skincare brand. B&B which offers hypoallergenic and infant-safe baby detergent and softener, feeding bottle cleanser, dental care products, stain remover and more. B&BBaby & Basic is one of the leading Korean brands for infantrelated household products and its products are free of harmful substances and made of natural ingredients only. Inujirushi is a famous Japanese manufacturer of a range of maternity wear and infant wear.
MBT: As the company has a long-standing experience in the pharmaceutical business, how do you think it will help in your venture in the baby care segment?
AG: Our experience and knowledge of the pharmaceutical industry is indeed helping us a lot in our new venture, because a lot of our products are going through the same channel which is the pharmacy channel. For instance, a lot of baby care products such as skincare, feeding products, food & nutritional products and diapers are usually found in pharmacies. Also, our age-old partnerships and rapport in the market is greatly fostering us in diversifying into different avenues and it is also helping us in channelizing and marketing the product in the right way. And we are largely focussing on reducing the gap between demand and supply of healthcare products.
“We have partnered with Inujirushi, Dr. Ato, B&B, Little Rawr and ZoLi to bring and distribute their products in the Indian market… Inujirushi is from Japan, both- B&B and Dr. Ato are of Boryung Medience which is a Korean company, Little Rawr is an Australian Teether company and ZoLi is a USA-based brand.”
MBT: What are the future expansion plans for Sohii?
AG: What we are doing is we are partnering with brands, most of which are international and are involved in the different sectors of baby care, such as clothing, modern care family products, feeding and skincare products. Our goal for the next two years is to bring at least 7 to 8 international brands which are ingenious and innovative to the Indian mothers and babies.
MBT: How do you foresee the growth of the Indian baby care sector in the next five to ten years from now?
AG: The growth of the baby care sector in India looks very promising and it is going to rise even further with time. According to the recent statistics, we might see a 15% growth year-on-year in the baby care market. And considering the vast demographics of India, since it is the second most populous country in the world after China, and more than 10% of the population is children below the age of 4 years, these factors would positively impact the growth in the baby care market in the country.
MBT: What are the certain challenges that you are facing in the business of baby care products in India?
AG: The first and foremost is the availability of many counterfeit products in the market which is evidently of a very low quality. However, it is also true that most parents would know and recognize the difference between original products from a counterfeit one and they know what an ideal product is for their baby. And, the recent increase in the fees for the imports for skincare and healthcare products by the government is also one challenge that we are facing. MBT
MBT: How are you distributing the baby care products in the market?
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Woo Woo Diapers: A Homegrown Diaper Brand The brand launched by Vivia International's is Woo Woo Baby Diapers for the most assured and comfort of the baby as well as a range of adult diapers – Buddies. Naveen Jain, Director at Vivia International Private Limited, shares the core philosophy of the company, the manufacturing of the products, while presenting a detailed roundup in an interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT). The reach of Vivia International and its products is increasing with time and it has a sturdy presence, especially in the North Indian region as of now, he elaborates “we have a strong distribution network in states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Delhi amongst a number of other states and regions as well. Our primary focus is now to expand our reach to regions and states where we are yet to establish our presence.”
Strengths and Recognition Defining the strengths of the company, he says “to progress as per global standards in manufacturing and production, we have been constantly innovating to implement technological upgrades and enhancements. As an organization, we have a dynamic young team which is highly skilled and has expertise in their respective domains. Recently, we have started website to encourage the Indian consumers to familiarize themselves with our products.”
Naveen Jain, Director at Vivia International Private Limited
November 12, 2019
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Vivia International was recently recognized by the Government of India for its laudable efforts in the hygiene sector. He affirms “we were recently presented with an award by the Government of India for our industrious efforts which were given to us by Mr. Ashwini Kumar Choubey who is the Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare.”
tarted in 2013, Vivia International Private Limited has attained a great reputation in the Indian market for manufacturing and exporting an outstanding range of Woo Woo Baby Diaper, Woo Woo Jumbo Pack, and Super Jumbo Care Baby Diaper along with a range of infant diaper and adult diapers- Buddies.
Manufacturing and Market Reach
“We have a strong distribution network in states including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Delhi amongst a number of other states… Our primary focus is now to expand our reach”
About the manufacturing and the market presence, Naveen Jain, the director of the company, explains “our manufacturing facility is located in Nathupura in the Kundli region in Haryana, which was put in place in 2013. We have been manufacturing a range of medical disposables, which are known for their hygienic value, excellent absorbency, and optimum usage span. Our organization has an excellent team of R & D experts, designers, and skilled workforce. Vivia International stringently abide by the international standards related to manufacturing of the products diligently.” www.mommybabytimes.com
Partnering for Welfare Schemes of Government Vivia International recently has joined hands with the Government of India for one of the initiatives; he elaborates “we manufacture a range of baby diapers that comes under the label 22
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'Bachpan' and the range of adult diapers – 'Swabhimaan'. This is for the scheme 'Pradhan Mantri Jan-Aushadhi Yojana' which is a campaign launched by the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Government of India, to provide quality medicines at affordable price points.”
are abundant opportunities and scope in the private label manufacturing in the country.”
“we have been looking to expand our presence in the overseas market, we are intending to start exporting our products in the MENA region… (and) other important markets around the globe.”
Contract Manufacturing The contract manufacturing is a chief segment in their venture and the business model of Vivia International, as they manufacture products for a number of known brands. With the increased demand in the baby diaper category in the Indian market, the company sees a bright future and huge scope of growth in terms of manufacturing.
Future Plans of the company Sharing the future plans of the company, he mentions “we are gradually looking to expand our reach and penetration in the domestic market, in various Tier-II & III cities. Also, since we have been looking to expand our presence in the overseas market, we are intending to start exporting our products in the MENA region (the Middle East and the North African region) as well as other important markets around the globe.” MBT
He states “we are earnestly intending to expand our manufacturing business by tying up and associating with different brands as our focus is chiefly centered on contract manufacturing. There
Mattel makes first ever Barbie based on IndoAmerican scientist Nalini Nadkarni The iconic doll is on the way of being more inclusive in the recent years in terms of representing women from different walks of life and from different ethnicities. collaborated with National Geographic and took Nadkarni on board the project as an advisor to come up with four women of colour Barbies, who represent different STEM professions namely, astrophysicists, nature photographers, entomologists, and wildlife biologists.
December 18, 2019
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here is a new Barbie doll based on Indo-American ecologist and Scientist at the University of Utah, Nalini Nadkarni. This is the first time when Mattel is coming up with a Barbie after an Indian-origin scientist. The popular toy-making company
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In 2018, Mattel introduced a new collection of dolls titled 'Inspiring Women' as a part of the 'Dream Gap Project' initiative. With this initiative, Barbie dolls based on pilot Amelia Earhart, Mexican artist Frida Khalo and mathematician Katherine Johnson, the NASA worker were released on International Women's Day in 2018. This ongoing global initiative is aimed at giving girls the resources and support they need to continue believing that they can be anything by introducing girls to real stories of inspirational women from
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all walks of life and different ethnicities. The first Barbie doll had made its debut in the American Toy Fair in New York on March 09, 1959. Since then, these dolls has come a long way and has turned 60 this year. To present a multidimensional and more of an allembracing view of beauty and fashion, it was in 2016 that Barbie released dolls with four different body types, various skin tones, hair and eye colors. The California-headquartered Mattel has its presence in over 40 nations and territories and sells its products in around 150 nations across the world. In its design studio, every bit of a prototype is made by an army of experts – from sculpting the doll using state-of-the-art software and 3D printing to painting the face, styling the hair, choosing fabrics and crafting the clothing patterns. n
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INTERVIEW
®
Sophie la girafe : “We have grown quite organically and that is the best recognition we can get” The French teething toy brand has its presence in 80 countries around the world. Sophie la girafe® has won around 60 awards and it was established in the year 1961 by Mr. Rampeau. Hoya Bella Distribution is responsible for the Import and distribution of the French brand- Sophie la girafe® products in the Indian market. Headquartered in Rumilly (France), Sophie la girafe® manufactures teething toys which are made from 100% natural rubber. Ms. Lola Hicks, Founder & CEO at Hoya Bella Distribution, had a detailed interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT) wherein she outlines on the specifics of Sophie la girafe® products, the key strengths of the brand and the credo with which the brand has charted out its future strategies. November 11, 2019 MBT: Kindly take us through the business story of Sophie la girafe® and enlighten us on its presence in the Indian market.
Lola Hicks: The story behind Sophie la girafe® is pretty fascinating. We had started manufacturing Sophie la girafe® in France in 1961. It is important to keep in mind that she (little giraffe teething toy) was not born during marketing and digital ages. She only became a “must-have” thanks to word of mouth, parents' recognition, and mostly babies' evident pleasure having her around. Sophie la girafe®'s success is due to the fact that she is one of the only infant toys that stimulates the baby's five senses at an early age. In France each year, we sell more Sophie la girafe® than the number of babies that are born. She is now an iconic and timeless baby product. Sophie la girafe® is simply the one gift you get each time a baby is born within family and friends. The love for Sophie la girafe® keeps replicating no matter the country. We started exporting in 2001, quite unsure of the response as it was such a specific French product. However, it picked up incredibly, first in the US, the UK, Japan, Australia and we are now present in 80 countries; India being our new market. The distribution in India started in July this year and the response has been impressive. We did not expect the products to pick up so quickly. It can be
Ms. Lola Hicks, Founder & CEO at Hoya Bella Distribution
www.mommybabytimes.com
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INTERVIEW MBT: What are the unique characteristic of these teething toys?
explained by the number of digital moms that are using the Internet to search for high quality products. Right now, our priority is to develop the brand recognition and focus on communication in social media in which we are getting an excellent response. From almost 60 years ago, we have grown quite organically and that is the best recognition we can get.
LH: Sophie la girafe® is one of the only infant products that can be given to a baby from 0 month and that stimulate his five senses: SIGHT: At the age of 3 months, a baby's eyesight is still limited and he can only perceive high contrasts. The dark and contrasting attentioncatching spots over Sophie la girafe®’s body provide visual stimulation. She soon becomes a familiar and reassuring object for baby who easily recognizes her.
MBT: What is the range of products offered by the brand?
LH: Sophie la girafe® is considered a specialist in baby products in France and in mature markets (countries in which we have been present for 5 years or more). Therefore, we offer a vast variety of goods including baby teethers, toys, clothes, feeding utensils, birth gifts and more. Typically, our strategy to launch a new market is to focus on our flagship product, Sophie la girafe®. However, with India being such a promising market, we started immediately promoting our worldwide 6 best sellers. As the brand recognition increases, we will expand our product offering and bring revolutionizing baby care items that have been unavailable until now.
HEARING: Sophie la girafe®’s squeaker entertains while stimulating baby's hearing. The funny sound she makes when she is squeezed helps stimulate his hearing which then helps him understand the link between cause and effect.
“We are now present in 80 countries; India being our new market. The distribution in India started in July this year and the response has been impressive… we have grown quite organically and that is the best recognition we can get.”
TASTE: Made of 100% natural rubber and food-grade paint, Sophie la girafe® can be safely nibbled. She is akin to the teat of a feeding bottle. Her soft texture and numerous nibbling parts (ears, horns, snout and legs), makes her ideally suited for soothing baby's gums during teething.
MBT: What do you have to say about the strengths of the Sophie la girafe® as a brand?
TOUCH: The sense of touch is a baby's first means of communication with the outside world. The softness of Sophie la girafe® is reminiscent of a mother's skin. It reassures baby providing physiological and emotional responses that will soothe baby and favor healthy growth and well-being.
LH: Our export collections “So'pure” and “Il était une fois...” are made out of 100% pure natural rubber. We use the finest rubber that of which is the same used for surgical gloves. We get it from Malaysia and work with small local producers. The quality of the raw material, paired with almost 60 year of experience in manufacturing, Sophie la girafe® makes our products quite unique. Multi awarded and known as "The Star Toy", she was adopted by many Hollywood celebrities' babies and starting to seduce also Bollywood babies. All our products are designed around the character of Sophie la girafe®. In 1961, only pets or farm animals were represented in the world of toys. It wasn't until Mr. Rampeau, a specialist in transforming the latex from the Hevea tree using the rotational moulding of rubber as a toy making concept, had the idea to design a giraffe. This exotic representation was the first of its kind on the market. The size and shape of the toy remains true to the orginal creation, and are ideally suitable for a baby to grasp. The first Sophie la girafe®, as she is still known today, went in production on May 25th 1961. She was an immediate success. Right from the beginning, young parents recognized something in her that was essential for their babies. www.mommybabytimes.com
SMELL: The singular smell of natural rubber derived from the Hevea tree (para rubber tree) gives Sophie la girafe® a truly distinctive feature that makes it easy for baby to identify her amongst his other toys.
“Sophie la girafe® is one of the only infant products that can be given to a baby from 0 month… Made of 100% natural rubber and ® food-grade paint, Sophie la girafe can be safely nibbled.” MBT: Share some specifics on the manufacturing of the products.
LH: We use a unique process to create our products. The rubber comes exclusively from the hevea trees growing in Malaysia. To create the little wonder, Sophie la girafe®, we first heat the latex using a special process involving the "rotomoulding" technique and then perform a series of 14 manual operations. 27
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INTERVIEW past 3 months, we did 4 major B2C and B2B events in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bangalore. We are now strongly implanted when it comes to online retail. Sophie la girafe® has had an amazing response in the past 4 months. We have been very surprised to notice that 50% of our business happened in Tier 3 and 4 cities. E-commerce has opened up product accessibility to parents regardless of their geographical situation. Our next goal is to be more present in traditional and modern trade so that parents and their little ones can experience our products in stores. The uniqueness of the lines puts us on a niche market. MBT: Please outline on the offline/physical as well as online market presence of the company in India.
LH: We work with amazing resellers, mostly online for now, that offer high quality ranges of products. We have met each and every one of them to make sure we had the same understanding and goals when it came to Sophie la girafe®’s development and communication. The ones we have the honor to call our very first resellers were My Baby Babbles, FirstCry, Hopscotch, BabyChakra, MomZJoy, Babble Wrap and Masilo. When it comes to offline retail, we are now present at Green Bell (a historic toy store here in Mumbai), as well as The Baby Shop in Bangalore and Crossword in Pune. We are also very present on Amazon and have our own boutique. We made sure to clean the market place and verify all the products available were genuine and imported as per the rules. At first, it was indeed a jungle with 32 pages of products exported on the grey market or nongenuine. The MRP were not respected as well as the brand guidelines. We must say we were amazed by the efficiency of Amazon in clearing and organizing the Sophie la girafe® offer.
First the latex, in its liquid form, is poured into plaster molds, specifically designed to absorb the water. Then comes the Rotomoulding step, during which the molds rotate on two axels allows a uniform distribution of the latex in each footprint. After a few uses, the molds are unable to absorb the water. They are set aside to be recycled in the local plaster industry. The giraffes then enter the maturing process and are placed for a minimum of three months on a shape holder. This allows them to dry while retaining their iconic shape and the important properties of the natural rubber (flexibility, tightness, form memory, etc.). Afterwards, the giraffes are polished using a cloth grinder to smooth out all their contours. Then the whistle is added. Their mouths, cheeks, ears, legs, and eyes are finally hand-painted with natural pigments mixed with latex. All these steps are carried out manually by our craftsmen with the greatest respect for tradition. All of our products sold comply with European and global legislated standards. Regardless of the regulations enforced in each country, the same products are sold worldwide, meeting the most stringent legislation in all areas. In July 2011, we even went one step further enabling full product traceability by placing a individualize lot number on each of our product. Each number corresponds to a batch tested by an approved laboratory and certifies its compliance with European and international standards. We are one of the very few toy manufacturers to offer such a high level of batch traceability and safety.
MBT: Is there any recent development at Sophie la girafe® that you would like to share? Also, what are your future plans for the company?
MBT: What are your marketing and distribution strategies and how do you perceive the competition in the Indian toys industry, especially in the Soft Toys segment?
LH: We have started just four months ago, so, we are in the middle of many exciting projects. We are presently working on a pop up store project, endorsement of the brand by celebrities and collaboration with hospitals and doctors.
LH: Being a new brand in India, we mostly focus on building the brand recognition. Many connected parents looking for quality products have heard of us but they don't always know what makes Sophie la girafe® so special or even that we are now present in India. Therefore, we have put a lot of emphasis in meeting parents directly through exhibitions PAN India. In the
More than the sales, building the brand here in India is our priority for now. Getting the kind of trust relationship that we have all over the world with parents is essential for bringing Sophie la girafe® into the hands of their little ones. To do so, we plan on pursuing the promotion of the flagship product, the iconic and timeless “Sophie la girafe®”. MBT
www.mommybabytimes.com
“E-commerce has opened up product accessibility to parents regardless of their geographical situation. Our next goal is to be more present in traditional and modern trade so that parents and their little ones can experience our products in stores.”
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INTERVIEW
Skillmatics: Bringing a range of play-based educational products Mumbai-headquartered Skillmatics develops innovative educational products and games designed to enable children develop core skills that integrate the concepts from math and language to science and logic, through systematic play. Started in 2016, the company has its presence in the international market across more than 20 countries around the world. Mommy & Baby Times (MBT) had a detailed chat with Dhvanil Sheth, Founder & CEO at Skillmatics- Grasper Global Pvt. Ltd., in which he divulges details about how he came up with the idea to start Skillmatics, the product range, the approach to marketing and the global market presence of the company. are actively choosing to move kids away from mindless screen time, towards educational products that are more engaging and activity-oriented. I realized that this problem was not limited to India and that there was a global need for innovative new products that build core skills and drive up social interaction through active play. Thus, Skillmatics was started in October, 2016 with the vision to bring educational products which can aid in developing skills in children which encourages creativity, logic, problem solving, and other skills that are essential in all types of learning. MBT: Describe the product range covered at the company.
DS: Skillmatics develops innovative educational products that build core skills in children – all through the joy of play! The first product category we launched was “Write and Wipe Activity Mats”. The key differentiators of this product are the highly innovative content which makes learning truly enjoyable and the unique “Write & Wipe” format which allows children to learn and practice - again and again!
Dhvanil Sheth, Founder & CEO at Skillmatics- Grasper Global Pvt. Ltd.
September 17, 2019 MBT: Kindly take us through the story behind the inception of Skillmatics.
After receiving global success with our first product line, we ventured into designing Educational Games which reinforce key learning concepts through systematic play. Our “SQUIK” and “Guess in 10” games which we have recently launched have received a fantastic response from customers worldwide.
Dhvanil Sheth: Skillmatics was born out of a personal experience I had with my nephew. I witnessed him attempt to “swipe” a book as he was so used to using a mobile phone. The real trigger however was the way my sister reacted to this – she was very visibly disturbed by his addiction to technology at such an early age. When I dug deeper, I found that most parents today www.mommybabytimes.com
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MBT: Please share some details about the current market presence of Skillmatics.
Ÿ Skillmatics is ranked as the number 1 educational product
DS: Skillmatics has sold over 2 million products across over 20 countries around the world. We have a presence in more than 200 educational institutions and in over 5000 retail stores, also through our own website, various e-commerce market spaces with a primary focus on the Indian and the North American market.
Ÿ We have built a distribution presence of over 1500+ retail
on Amazon touch points Ÿ Skillmatics has been successfully integrated into the
curriculum in over 100+ schools
“the STEM/Educational Toys segment is one of the largest product categories in the USD 100 billion Toy & Game Industry… parents worldwide are looking for products that offer educational value and help build foundational skills in their children.”
MBT: What are the different marketing and distribution strategies of the company?
DS: Our distribution strategies are based entirely on the nature of the market we are in. For example, in a fragmented market like India, we have an Omni-channel distribution network which allows us to sell our products across general trade, modern trade, online and schools. Whereas in some of the more developed countries, we have an online-first approach to distribution.
MBT: Share some specifics on the designing and the manufacturing of the products.
DS: All our products are developed after extensive research by our team of Educationalists and Design Experts. We always start with identifying a pain point parents face and then design a product that will truly help parents while adding enormous educational value to their children. We ensure that every product must fulfill 3 key criteria -
Our marketing is primarily through online platforms and is focused on educating customers about the enormous value that Skillmatics products offer to their children. We don't adopt “discount led” marketing strategies like other brands.
“Skillmatics has sold over 2 million products across over 20 countries around the world. We have a presence in more than 200 educational institutions and in over 5000 retail stores”
1. It must offer tangible educational value and build core cognitive skills in the child 2. It must offer repeat utility. We avoid designing products which are a “one-time use” 3. It must be of international quality standards, however yet be affordable for parents worldwide
MBT: Are there any plans to innovate or diversify your product segment line in the near future?
Our strength is that we have in-house manufacturing facilities. This allows us to transform an idea and concept of a product into a high-quality end product in a very short span of time.
DS: We truly believe that we must constantly innovate and introduce new product offerings that delight our customers in order build a beloved global brand. Our team of educationalists and design experts are working on several exciting new product categories which we will be launching in the coming months.
MBT: What is the current market growth in the STEM/educational toys market? How do you foresee the growth and evolution of this particular market segment?
MBT: Kindly elaborate a bit on the acceptance Skillmatics has received in the Indian market.
DS: Globally, the STEM/Educational Toys segment is one of the largest product categories in the USD 100 billion Toy & Game Industry. This category is witnessing rapid growth as parents worldwide are looking for products that offer educational value and help build foundational skills in their children in their formative years. Parents are looking for engaging alternatives that limit screen time and drive up social interaction through systematic play. We strongly believe in the potential of this category and hope to create a leading global brand in this space over the coming years. MBT
DS: Skillmatics has received an overwhelming response in India in a very short time. Some of our key milestones are mentioned below: Ÿ We have sold over 1 million products to consumers in
India. This makes us the largest educational product brand in the country. Ÿ Skillmatics is the first ever Indian brand to retail globally
with Hamleys
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MontyyBucks: Bringing PURA kiki’s feeding products from USA MontyyBucks Inc was started by a team of five people and it is engaged into imports and distribution of various brands in the domain of Baby Care, Home Care products and Garden Planters. It is an exclusive importer for PURA Kiki's Stainless Steel Feeding Bottles which are the safest, most adaptable, and most eco-progressive Baby Feeding Bottles. Alpa Jagyasi, Founder and Director at MontyyBucks Inc. shares and spoke on the challenges and opportunities in the baby care segment in an exclusive interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT). babies and kids, health products along with other high-end products. We have had challenges in the past, and we still face some, however with our strong work ethics and dedication, we firmly believe we are positioned for growth. MBT: Please outline on the product range covered at your company.
AJ: We provide products from top international brands and our product range includes: Baby feeding high-quality stainless-steel bottles from PURA Kiki USA along with PURA Kiki bottle accessories: PURA infant bottle are 100% plastic-free, environmentally progressive also 100% BPA/BPS-free and toxin-free feeding solution. These bottles easily convert into a Sippy bottle, straw bottle or sport/water bottle by simply swapping the nipple out for another PURA silicone lid.
Alpa Jagyasi, Founder and Director at MontyyBucks Inc.
November 18, 2019
Avado Organics: These are the natural and organic range of skincare products for babies.
MBT: Kindly take us through the business journey of MontyyBucks Inc.
DIY kit: It has science, art and craft kits for children to enhance their creativity and intelligence.
Alpa Jagyasi: We started MontyyBucks Inc on 6th May 2015. Initially, we were a small team of five people based in Vashi, Navi Mumbai, including I and my husband who is the cofounder Mr. Sanjay Jagyasi along with three other staff members. We share the same vision and the main idea was to provide internationally acclaimed high-quality products that improve the quality of life. MontyyBucks offers feeding solutions for www.mommybabytimes.com
Self-Watering Planters: They enhance the interior with selfwatering pots which suits all interiors. They require less watering and offer better plant growth. Furthermore, we are also the licensees for Dora the Explorer Preschool Learning Game & PAW Patrol Preschool Game. 34
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MBT: Describe your association with PURA and the unique features of the products by the brand.
Road, Roopam CST, etc. We then began partnering with new distributors. We have a few numbers of distributors who are located in prime metro cities. We distribute products to many retail outlets through our distributors. We also cater to great departmental stores like Loyal World Bangalore, Dorabjees Pune etc.
AJ: Buying bottle for your infant can be a very daunting task especially for new mothers who naturally would want to purchase safe and hygienic products for their infants. Recent studies show that plastic is hazardous for environment and it can be harmful for infants as well as for adults alike. We understand and acknowledge the importance of safe, non-toxic, 100% plastic free bottles and hence, we are the exclusive importers for PURA Stainless in India. PURA is a pioneering leading international brand which manufactures 100% plastic free bottles. It has won numerous awards and has its own patents. These PURA feeding bottles are made with stainless steel, i.e. 18/8 food grade and comes with medical graded silicon accessories. The parents can use PURA bottles for years as there is no need to buy multiple bottles. One bottle can be converted into another with swap of silicone top. 'One Life One Bottle' is our mantra. Why buy so many bottles when we can simply use just one bottle for multiple purposes. It also helps to reduce carbon footprint. PURA bottles are safest, most adaptable and environmentally progressive bottles available in the global market. It is really essential today that we promote and buy only environmentally safe, non-toxic products.
For B2C, we are available on Amazon, FirstCry and Hopscotch and many others etc. We have our own website www.montyybucks.com where our customers can easily find their favourite products. Currently, we have our presence in major cities in India through retail outlets. We also get the customers through FirstCry outlets. Now, we are tapping for more retailers and large format departmental stores. MBT: What do you think are the challenges and opportunities in the present-day baby care market in India?
AJ: India has a huge population and a very big market, which attracts businesses all over the world. Most Indians like to buy budget friendly products; hence the world believes they can sell anything in India that is cheap. We need to change that perception by spreading awareness. There are adverse effects of cheap and toxic products on environment and health.
MBT: What are your distribution and retailing strategies? How do you plan to expand your reach across the country?
Cheap products do not last long, and they can cause harm. Quality products come at higher prices as the manufacturing cost is higher. We need to understand the value of the products. When it comes to health of babies, most parents like to opt for safe and non-toxic products, however many parents are not aware about toxic products which endangers the life of infants and cause diseases.
AJ: We believe in channel sales strategy as that is the best way to have a better graph in the sales. Currently, we are planning on expanding our reach. There are many platforms we are using to connect with the retailers directly. We understand that a right wholesale distributor is necessary for a brand to get stable in any city. We have appointed distributors in many cities who cater to retailers. We directly deal with large format departmental stores. To expand our reach all over India, we are planning a stronger digital media presence along with participation in B2B exhibitions. We have our products listed on many B2B Platforms. We are the fastest growing company in India and we intend to become the leading brand very soon for high tech innovative quality products.
Our mission is to create awareness. In the longer run, some parents may pay higher price for buying cheap products. I am glad that the new generation of educated parents are much more informed and they give priority to safety of their little ones. We have a huge opportunity to introduce advance quality safe products to make the life of parents easy. We are confident that we will receive customers' support and appreciation with time.
“You will get to see the DIY Kits of our brand in Hamleys Stores very soon... We are intending to add two more products range to our existing product line.”
“we are the exclusive importers for PURA Stainless in India... It has won numerous awards and has its own patents. These PURA feeding bottles are made with stainless steel, i.e. 18/8 food grade and comes with medical graded silicon accessories.”
MBT: Could you give us a glimpse on your association with other brands?
AJ: We are currently offering few top international brands along with PURA Kiki stainless steel bottles. We hold a license of Dora the Explorer and Paw Patrol for our DIY Kits. This DIY Kit comes with a self-watering table top garden pot and a whole lot of activities, soil, seeds for kids to make them understand the
MBT: What is the current market reach of the brand PURA in India?
AJ: We initially started catering the Mumbai market with mostly big stores like Green Bell, Juhu, Kamdhenu, Nepeansea www.mommybabytimes.com
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INTERVIEW MBT: Could you please share if there has been any recent development and also the future plans of Montyybucks?
value of healthy food. We need to make children aware about various techniques we can use to reduce carbon footprint. We have designed the box in such a way that the kid will be reusing the outer box as a bird house and inner as storage drawer. There are so many licensed products that the industry churns out. A small change as this can go a long way.
AJ: We have recently registered with Hamleys and you will get to see the DIY Kits of our brand in Hamleys Stores very soon. We are looking forward to forming more such associations with other large retail organizations as well. We are intending to add two more products range to our existing product line. It would take a few months more before we actually introduce it in the market.
MBT: What do you think are the strengths that give a unique edge to your company?
MBT: How do you think the participation in B2B exhibitions help a company in strengthening its brand name in the market?
AJ: We think creatively, from a different perspective. We believe in offering safe innovative, and creative solutions. Our biggest strength is the values and ethics which we strongly believe and follow. We present new products only after carefully examining every aspect of the products. Our products offer great value for money and they are always long lasting. Over the years, we have earned trust and respect from customers by providing them unique solutions through life transforming products.
AJ: A B2B exhibition is the best platform to launch products and to get a good entry in the industry. It helps the brand to gain visibility and to reach out to the right audience. These exhibitions provide opportunity to do a great deal of networking. It is a must platform if one wants to grow the brand exponentially. MBT
Timios introduces Belligo- Prebiotic and Probiotic Bites for Kids “We at Timios are delighted to launch our new product Belligo – On-the-Go Probiotic snack. With interest in functional foods growing among consumers, a majority of them are looking at food products to derive functional benefits, instead of supplements and medicines. This trend exists because consumers are more conscious about preventive care, or preventive nutrition, rather than cure. This becomes more prominent with kids,” says Co Founder & CEO Aswani Chaitanya.
January 06, 2020
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engaluru-headquartered FMCG brand has expanded its product range with the introduction of Prebiotic and Probiotic bites for kidsBelligo. This is composed of natural ingredients that supports digestion and immunity. www.mommybabytimes.com
“As parents, we always wish our kids are in the best of health. One of the major factors contributing towards being healthy is to have good immunity. It's well established that more than 70% of our immunity lies in our gut. So, if we can manage to keep our little ones' gut healthy, chances of building a good immunity is high,” says Co Founder & Head PDG Hima Bindu. With prebiotics-probiotics goodness, Belligo helps in supporting immunity and digestion. It is a probiotic snack onthe-go, implying that it can be stored at room temperature without the need for 38
refrigeration. Additionally, Belligo prevents the loss of probiotics in the digestive tract. The amount of probiotics that reach the gut is same as it were when consumed. Prebiotics are also added to make the Probiotics more effective. This product- Timios Belligo is available at Amazon, FirstCry, BigBasket, Flipkart and other leading supermarkets. Started by brother-sister duo, Aswani Chaitanya and Hima Bindu, FirmtrootsTimios is premised on the intent to bring age-appropriate nutrition to kids ranging from 9 months to 12 years olds. There is a wide range of packaged foods by the brand available in distinctive flavours keeping in mind the appeal and liking of infants and kids. The brand is committed with the proposition of 'Honesty in every bite' and to bring about a range of food products that provide age-appropriate nutrition. The brand had also recently won the honour of being the 'Most Trusted Kids Food Brand' by The Times Group in May, 2018 and also 'Healthy Packaged Food Brand' from National Industrial Excellence Awards and Conference 2019. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Vision Medicare Industries: Leading in a New Phase of Growth in Wet Wipes Manufacturing Started in the year 2016, Vision Medicare Industries is one of the top-line manufacturers and exporters of wet wipes in India. In a joint interview with Mommy & Baby Times, Puneet Babbar and Manish Bhasin, Directors at Vision Medicare Industries, gave a detailed insight into the wet wipes manufacturing industry, their manufacturing plant, and their business strategies and shared their views on Mommy & Baby Times. Here are a few excerpts from the interview:
market followed by other healthcare wipes. Manufacturers in the wet wipes industry are spread across the world. They differ from one another in their setup for catering to local needs. Considering this poignant situation, we at Vision aimed to develop a wide range of wipes to meet the needs arising from all spheres. With effective research and Puneet Babbar, Director at development, we have been able to Vision Medicare Industries develop a wide range of wipes, such as intimate wipes, charcoal wipes, scrub wipes, QAC wipes (for healthcare), and bamboo wipes.
May 10, 2019 Mommy & Baby Times: How would you describe the growth in the wet wipes industry in India and what is your prediction of future growth in the sector? Manish Bhasin, Director at Vision Medicare Industries
Puneet Babbar: In contemporary times, there has been considerable growth in the hygiene industry in India and an exponential growth in the wet wipe industry specifically. India has seen a robust statistical increase in acceptance and consumption of wet wipe. The recent graph of wet wipe consumption plots wet wipe as a necessity rather than a luxury. The scope of wet wipes has been broadening, touching upon all imperative segments, such as healthcare, beauty, baby care, cosmetics and hygiene. The widening scope and increasing relevance of wet wipes warrant immediate attention and intervention. So, we at Vision are trying in our own way to meet the demand for this needful healthcare.
MBT: Describe the manufacturing operations of your products.
PB: We believe in micro-management of operations which we think assures robust quality check. Our infrastructure adheres to all established quality norms and gives us the best space to create quality products. Our technical expertise provides the best fit confirming our zero-defect policy. Skillbased intervention, human resource allocation, dynamic leadership and supportive infrastructure facilitate quality production. Our production unit complies with the highest quality standards of ISO 9001:2015 and GMP 22716 accreditations from Intertek.
MBT: Shed some light on the types of wipes and prominent manufacturers in the wet wipes industry in India?
PB: The Indian market does not have a wide range of wet wipes. The most commonly used baby wipes initiated and built the www.mommybabytimes.com
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MBT: Are there any plans for diversification in the product line?
leading brands. Our huge list of satisfied customers and their appreciating feedback helps us positively construct and improvise the working.
PB: Diversification is a product of creativity and intelligence. We have a broad vision of diversifying from our present array of products to developing new products catering to the micro needs of people. Our satisfaction does not rest only in wet wipe production; we also look for expansion in manufacturing OTC/personal care/baby care products.
MBT: What are Vision Medicare's marketing and business strategies?
PB: We at Vision strategize our working according to the needs of the consumers. We initiate with doing action researches in understanding the needs of consumers, critically analyzing the needs and then devising the range accordingly.
“Our infrastructure adheres to all established quality norms and gives us the best space to create quality products… Skillbased intervention, human resource allocation, dynamic leadership and supportive infrastructure facilitate quality production.”
Manish Bhasin: Marketing is handled by a team of experts, but it rests on intense research and development of products. Skilled personnel in departments like R&D and Microbiology join hands with the marketing team to create prototypes of huge success. MBT: What are your views about Mommy & Baby Times?
MBT: Describe your association with different Vision brands.
PB: Mommy & Baby Times provides a perfect space for experiential exchanges. It is indeed an honor to be associated with this reflective reading magazine/journal. We look forward towards wider correspondence and transactions with Mommy & Baby Times. MBT
PB: At Vision we not only believe in developing a professional relationship but rather a personal alliance. We positively associate ourselves as contract manufacturers for various
Nuna introduces TRIV stroller The new lightweight stroller- TRIV is touted to be as a fully-featured travel companion. exclusively at the new Nordstrom flagship store in New York City at 225 West 57th Street, and it has also debuted on five Times Square Billboards. The stroller's reversible seating is made as comfortable as possible for the child by an allseason seat and a built-in UPF 50+ canopy (complete with a mesh peek-aboo window), which can regulate the child's body temperature.
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una International B.V. has introduced TRIV stroller which weighs in at just 19.4 lbs plus the new Ellis Collection www.mommybabytimes.com
The Nuna TRIV is a lightweight stroller that–through some feat of engineering– comes filled with amazing design features. The seating has an adjustable footrest, an added feature that allows the stroller to adjust. The TRIV comes in caviar and frost, as well as in the new Nordstrom exclusive Ellis fashion. 42
The brand has a global market presence with independent subsidiaries in countries such as Sweden, UK, Taipei to name a few. It has grown into a global brand which is available in over 50 countries. Nuna products have conspicuous Dutch influences in its design, and the European brand has been focusing on creating smart, helpful and functional baby gear products. The brand is thoroughly inspired by the clean lines and ingenuity of Dutch design with thoughtfulness put in to every single detail in the products it brings to the market. Headquartered in Erp, Netherlands; Nuna International B.V. was started in 2007 and is a global baby gear brand that manufactures pushchairs/strollers, car seats, and an 'In Home' range of products like high chairs, travel cots and loungers. The first Nuna product was introduced in 2007 with the ZAAZ high-chair. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Little Elly: Defining early childhood education with Concept Preschools Bangalore-based Little Elly is the flagship brand of Learning Edge India Pvt. Ltd, and is recognized as a developmentally enriching learning space designed to make learning fun for 2 to 5 year olds. Little Elly Preschool was founded and established in 2004-05 with the first preschool started in Bangalore. Mr. Vittal and Mrs. Preeti Bhandary, founders of Little Elly enlighten us about the notion of the Concept Preschool, and also present a rundown of the Little Elly concept preschool in a detailed joint interaction with Mommy & Baby Times (MBT). environment in which they are. That was the idea behind the “Concept Environment” approach. The space is planned in such a way that every concept covered in the early Childhood years at Little Elly takes place in a dedicated area. That is why Little Elly is a Concept Preschool. We had began our journey from a small Preschool in 2004-05, and the preschools have now grown in leaps and bounds to include close to 120+ centers all over India, and overseas footprints in Seattle, USA and Kathmandu, Nepal. Our approach towards preschool is the concept environments that we have planned inside the preschool. There are various concept environments like: Ÿ Early Learning Program (ELP) Room Ÿ The Music and Movement Stage Ÿ The Montessori Space Ÿ The Reading Corner
Mr. Vittal Bhandary, Founder and Managing Director of Little Elly
Ÿ The Creative Corner
November 12, 2019
Ÿ Outdoor Play Area
MBT: Kindly take us through the idea of a 'Concept Preschool' and how it is different from conventional preschools while also charting out the story of Little Elly.
MBT: Please elaborate on the presence of your company globally.
Vittal Bhandary: Today, there are more than 120 Little Elly preschools spread across 15 cities in India and beyond India, we have marked our presence in Seattle, USA and in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Preeti Bhandary: Our approach has been designed completely based on individual child's development. Little Elly caters to the most formative years of a child's life. Each and every Little Elly Centre meets the requirements of a child's Social, emotional, physical and cognitive developmental needs. We strongly believe that children should be allowed to explore around the www.mommybabytimes.com
MBT: Since the idea of a Concept Preschool is fairly recent, how do you plan to enlighten Indian mothers who are unfamiliar with the concept? 44
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PB: When a young parent comes with her child to our centre, we sensitise them with the importance of concept development. In the ELP room: when the child listens to the wide eye story and says something that is grammatically (conceptually) incorrect, we model to them the correct way of saying the sentence. In the Fine motor skill area: We demonstrate using the Montessori materials to the child what to do when giving them an instruction so that they can 'see' what the concept within the instruction looks like. In the Focused learning room: We describe to the child what they are doing e.g. when the child is packing up their toys we might say: “Put the toys in the box” or when dressing/undressing we might say: “Put your shoes on/Take your shoes off”). VB: Moreover, during most of the theme activities, we emphasize on the words we want the child to learn about and repeat the concept in a variety of concept area settings like creative corner / music and movement area so that the child sees the different ways in which a concept can be used.
Mrs. Preeti Bhandary, Co-founder and Director-Curriculum of Little Elly
goal. To develop a program, service and a brand to improve learning for our future generation is a goal close to my heart and I have been working through all my life and continue to do so. Our franchisees when they set up Little Elly preschools have a predetermined desired outcome to ensure quality education for young children and building a stable future for them. We will continue with our franchisee model by connecting with likeminded people and, ensuring our goals and ability match in unlocking and strengthening the developmental potential of our children.
“We had began our journey from a small Preschool in 2004-05, and the preschools have now grown in leaps and bounds to include close to 120+ centers all over India, and overseas footprints in Seattle, USA and Kathmandu, Nepal.” MBT: Is there any recent development at Little Elly that you would like to share?
PB: There are a number of developments at the moment that we want to share:
“Each and every Little Elly Centre meets the requirements of a child's Social, emotional, physical and cognitive developmental needs.”
a. We are continuing to embark on our success journey with couple of upcoming Little Elly centers in Coimbatore.
MBT: What are your various marketing strategies?
b. Revolutionizing education since 2004, Little Elly has been winning accolades for its Excellency throughout. As we approach the end of this year, Little Elly is currently moving on with its next award “Times Education Excellence award for Franchise Model Preschool.”
VB: We initiate pre marketing and post marketing campaigns along with out-of-the-box promotions during the festive months. Marketing Calendars are prepared accordingly for BTL and ATL planning and implementation. In fact, 10-15% of the overall revenue goes into marketing and promotions.
c. Little Elly plays a very unique role in environmental protection. We help our students to become environmentally conscious and to take action to keep our environment healthy and sustainable for the future. Recently the students of Little Elly Kasavanahalli, Maruthi Garden and Carmelaram implemented a campaign “SAY NO TO CRACKERS” to be environmentally responsible.
MBT: What are the different criteria and means to get associated with Little Elly Preschool Chain?
PB: First and the most important criteria is you need to be passionate about early childhood education. Edupreneurs who have previously or are currently involved with preschool education are more than welcome to be a part of our brand. Having a good track record for franchise business background and having resources for Initial Capital Outlay is also one major stipulation to be associated with Little Elly Chain of Preschools.
MBT: How do you plan to expand your reach in the country?
VB: We believe in any life venture, your odds of success are higher if you have the zest and drive to achieve your desired www.mommybabytimes.com
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VB: In the 21st Century, there is an immediate need in restructuring our education models. We need to provide effective and skill-based education to the younger generation, ready to step into the real world. In the fast paced and rapidly transforming world of today, a school is not the only place where one can get education. The millennial generation needs an education that has access to information anytime, anywhere and most importantly learning process design should be personalized. PB: Also, the existing models in the field of education are more archaic. A traditional classroom or a one size fits all learning is not completely effective in terms of learning, for a very simple fact, that to begin with all the students do not possess an equivalent base knowledge. Also, every student has their individual speed and rate of absorption. The present education system lags far behind from what the employers are expecting. I am fairly confident that the future models of education are going to evolve to incorporate more skill-based learning. MBT
Silver Cross to introduce its baby wear collection The premium British brand has come up with its first baby wear collection, after launching a range of bed linens and sheets premium baby wear garments will be launched online from 23rd September, 2019.
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ilver Cross is going to introduce its first baby wear collection and it is a new venture for the British brand having an unmatched legacy of more than 140 years. The collection of www.mommybabytimes.com
The brand had recently introduced its first heritage beddings collection that is crafted from luxurious cotton sateen in an aesthetically pleasing neutral palate of ivory and dove grey. While each piece has a traditional handmade feel with exquisite embroidered detailing and premium trims, there is a touch of timeless style in this deluxe heritage bedding collection. The range includes a musical cot mobile, deep padded cot bumper, baby changing mat, cot coverlet and beautiful cotton cot sheets. Silver Cross offers a wide range of prams and pushchairs, a furniture range for home and nursery, car seats and accessories, beddings collection and so on. It is one of 46
the most coveted and prestigious brands having established its presence in more than 70 countries around the world. It is headquartered in Yorkshire, England and has its offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Melbourne, and Barcelona. Called as the 'de première classe' in the strollers' category, the name Silver Cross has long been associated with the royal family. The association can be traced back to the time when a pram was tailor made to be supplied for King George VI. It was in 1877, William Wilson who founded the company designed and created the world's first baby carriage. From 1900s, the company had carved a niche for itself as a leading manufacturer of the world's most exclusive and exquisite baby coaches which were regarded as the “Rolls-Royce of prams”. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Beddy: India’s first specialized baby and child mattress by Centuary Mattresses Started on November 2018, Beddy is a specialised mattress brand- a subdivision of Centuary Mattresses that offers a range of optimally designed bedding for babies and children. Mommy & Baby Times (MBT) had a detailed chat with Mrs. Shruti Malani, Co-Founder at Beddy about the motivation behind starting the brand, its manufacturing, market presence and the future goals of the company. Children's Day- 14 November 2018. It has been heartening to see the positive response from parents, on understanding and choosing the right support for their children. MBT: Describe the product range offered by the brand.
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SM: Based on research, Beddy mattresses have the most important qualities needed in a baby's mattress- firm, made from certified, high quality materials (mostly natural), breathable and waterproof. Beddy comes in 3 varieties; Beddy Nest - the premium Natural mattress; Beddy Blossom - for Optimal Support and Beddy Guard - the Multipurpose Mattress. Waterproof accessories like Beddy Protect - the waterproof zipped cover and Beddy Shield - Water proof Protector are also available for the consumers. Though the mattresses come in 4 standard sizes of 120 x 60 x 10 cm, 85 x 46 x 5 cm, 111 x 65 x 10 cm and 140 x 70x 10cm, they can be customized as well based on the specific requirements.
MBT: Kindly take us through the business journey of Beddy?
MBT: What was the primary motivation behind the inception of Beddy?
Shruti Malani: The idea for Beddy- mattresses suitably designed for babies and children, was conceived with the birth of my first born. Having worked in the mattress industry and heading the export division of Centuary Mattresses, I was already into exporting high quality materials for baby mattresses to Europe. It was only when I bought my son's cot, that I realised there weren't good mattresses available for infants and children in India. Having insight into the best practices in the baby mattresses industry world-over, the first Beddy was designed to support my son with the best materials. Understanding the dilemma that most parents faced in the absence of a reliable mattress, the idea of launching “BeddyIndia's first specialized baby and child mattress” saw light on
SM: In India, the importance of a separate mattress for babies is often overlooked. Due to lack of options, or awareness, parents end up making choices which may not be the best for their growing infant/child. Infants and children require a firm surface that supports their growing needs. Their mattress should therefore be neither hard, nor soft, but appropriately designed for them. Also, a used mattress or even sharing the mattress with a new born has the additional risk of making them susceptible to infections/germs that might already infest in a used mattress. In fact, the leading Paediatric Associations (such as the American and Canadian Paediatrics Associations) recommend that the babies should sleep next to their mothers- but on a separate bed. This is ideal for the safety as well as comfort of the child. The Indian
Mrs. Shruti Malani, Co-Founder of Beddy
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INTERVIEW “Beddy comes in 3 varieties; Beddy Nest - the premium Natural mattress; Beddy Blossom - for Optimal Support and Beddy Guard - the Multipurpose Mattress. Waterproof accessories like Beddy Protect - the waterproof zipped cover and Beddy Shield - Water proof Protector are also available for the consumers.” MBT: How are you planning and charting your marketing and distribution strategies to tap into the offline market?
SM: As about our offline market presence, we have started with the retail of Beddy products in the city of Hyderabad. The products are available in stores of Centuary Mattresses, as well as in a number of baby stores across Hyderabad. Eventually, we plan to extend our retail presence in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi through Centuary stores, and a number of baby stores.
consumers have been deprived of quality baby mattresses and hence we saw the potential in this segment and ventured into it.
“We are manufacturing Beddy at the state-ofthe-art manufacturing facilities of Centuary Mattresses which has a rich experience of over 30 years in mattress industry, and over a decade of experience in exporting of baby sleep-related products to European countries.”
MBT: What is the approximate size of the baby bedding industry in India? How do you foresee the growth and evolution in the particular market segment in the near future?
MBT: How important do you think the right bedding is in the overall development of babies?
SM: The baby mattress industry in India is at a very nascent stage but has an immense potential of growing further. It is difficult to estimate the exact market size, as the industry is only just beginning to take shape.
SM: Paediatricians regard nutrition, sleep and activity to be among the top indicators of good overall development for a baby. A baby typically spends 18-22 hours of his first few months sleeping, resulting in 70% of his development happening while asleep. During this period, their bones start fusing together, muscles gets strengthened, and their brain develops rapidly. Thus, their body needs to be aligned on a mattress suitable for them – which is firm, comprises of high-quality materials (preferably natural) and hygienic. Beddy products are therefore made from high quality materials, with special focus on use of natural and certified materials. The entire sleep environment - the room, the light, the temperature, the bed, the level of noise and of course the mattress, has a significant impact on baby's sleep and growth.
The changing lifestyle of Indian consumers and growing awareness with higher income have created a market for quality baby products in the country. Other factors which are propelling the growth includes the shift to nuclear families, change in mindset to prioritize purchasing the best for the children and an increasing preference to make baby sleep on a separate bed.
“We have started with the retail of Beddy products in the city of Hyderabad... we plan to extend our retail presence in Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi”
MBT: Please outline on the manufacturing and the market presence of the brand.
MBT: Share some details on the raw materials used in the product as well as on the designing of the same.
SM: We are manufacturing Beddy at the state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities of Centuary Mattresses which has a rich experience of more than 30 years in the mattress industry, and over a decade of experience in the export of baby sleeprelated products to European countries.
SM: All materials used in making a Beddy mattress are breathable, making it the preferred choice for babies. Beddy mattresses are made from natural rubberised coir, natural latex foam, high density profiled PU Foam, cotton fabrics and waterproof materials. The core materials used to make Beddy are certified to be “Free from harmful chemicals” and safe to use for babies by Oeko-Tex- an independent German laboratory. All components are put together to ensure firmness and optimum support for the baby's right development. Beddy covers are skin friendly, and the mattresses are waterproof to ensure that the baby sleeps in a hygienic environment. Beddy
Beddy products are available online through our website and on leading online marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, Pepperfry & FirstCry. We are also selling the products through retail outlets in Hyderabad. With that, we are also actively working to promote the brand through digital marketing, trade fairs (in India and internationally), consumer exhibitions and tying up with baby retail outlets and websites. www.mommybabytimes.com
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INTERVIEW only uses the finest materials in the making of all its mattresses. MBT: Is there any recent development or future plans at Beddy that you might like to talk about?
SM: We intend to educate and make most Indian parent aware of the fact that separate mattress is a need and not a luxury for babies. Babies are more delicate, and their growth depends on the surface they spend most of their time. Beddy is made available anywhere in India and in different sizes as required by the customer. We intend to continue our partnerships with leading online marketplace and in addition to our offline presence in Hyderabad; we will be rolling out Beddy mattresses offline in retails stores in cities like Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. MBT
Mother Sparsh introduces after bite Turmeric Balm Known for its 100% biodegradable and 99% water-based baby wipes, Mother Sparsh has introduced new product- after bite Turmeric Balm to alleviate from rashes, mosquito bites and skin irritation inflammation and is formulated specifically for normal to sensitive skin.
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other Sparsh launches after bite Turmeric balm to its range which is composed from natural ingredients like haldi (turmeric), sarso (mustard), coconut which provides relief from insect bite, rashes and minor skin irritation. The Mother Sparsh after bite turmeric balm is totally safe to be used on delicate skin of babies. It has anti-bacterial, anti-septic and anti-inflammatory properties that reduce the possibility of infection and www.mommybabytimes.com
Based on Ayurveda inspired natural home remedies, Mother Sparsh has brought after bite turmeric balm which provides relief from insect bite, rashes and minor skin irritation. It is enriched with ingredients such as natural extracts like Turmeric, Mustard, Jaitoon and Pudina. It is therefore an effective aid in skin conditions like eczema, itching skin eruptions, acne and rashes. It comes under one of the product category of the brand – 'Baby Health'. The brand had recently launched two products in succession- Natural Insect Repellent gel and India's first Kids cooking oil. The Natural Insect Repellent Gel is completely organic and is safe to use on kids as it is Deet free and gives an all-round protection from mosquitoes, ants and fleas. Also, the 'India's first', the Kids Cooking Oil is enriched with the benefits of OMEGA 3 + OMEGA 6 and essential vitamins like A, D & E. 49
Mother Sparsh has products grouped under three categories- Baby Hygiene, Colic and Baby Health, out of which 'Baby Hygiene' features the range of 98% water-based baby wipes which are scented and the unscented 99% waterbased baby wipes. These wipes by the company are made up of plants and are free of any chemicals such as paraben and is completely hypoallergenic. The range 'Colic' has 100% Ayurvedic tummy roll on, doesn't has any preservatives or chemicals in its constituent. The category of 'Baby Health' features the newly introduced 'after bite Turmeric Balm' and the 'natural insect Repellent Gel' containing pure essential oils. Founded in 2015, Mother Sparsh is one of the emerging Indian brands whose mainstay is the idea of sustainability and to bring products which are ecologically safe with the least or negligible use of any chemical, essentially using natural ingredients. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Organic baby wear and kids wear: Making a new wave With sustainable fashion making a new trend, the organic baby and kids wear is growing like never before. The organic fashion looks like a gleaming market segment in terms of its future growth and displays immense potential.
drives us to make sustainable choices and makes us consider the ethical aspects of fast-fashion.
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he organic and sustainable fashion has caught the fancy of parents worldwide. Today, millennial parents are much more mindful in terms of incorporating sustainability into their way of life. In the past recent years especially, the organic baby products market has registered an impressive growth. As an outcome of a very distinctive behaviour of millennial consumers which is being very wellinformed and hand-picking the best products or the crème de la crème, especially when it comes to their little ones. An increasing tribe of young consumers today have the discretion to adopt ethical/sustainable fashion in the times when fast fashion and mass production of clothes in rapidly changing styles is constantly being questioned and scanned.
Wearing ethics: mindful fashion A growing number of consumers are encouraging ethical fashion that de facto reduces the carbon footprint and are mindful of the impact fashion industry has on the environment. They know that quiet well that a hang tag using the word “sustainable” does not necessarily imply that clean processes are being used in the development of that garment. They are ready to go that extra mile to understand what goes behind the manufacturing of organic textile garments and also the entire supply chain, production processes, as well as the product afterlife. And by definition, sustainable fashion is driven by embracing environment-friendly practices like the use of natural fibers, utilizes less amount of water and natural dyes as a replacement of synthetic petroleum based fibers.
It is important to ask ourselves: how could we possibly buy things for ourselves, while taking care of the environment and making responsible choices when fashion is concerned. That is why it is termed as 'Eco-Fashion' or 'Sustainable Fashion' as it www.mommybabytimes.com
According to a Nielsen poll of 30,000 consumers carried out in 60 nations, 73 per cent of millennial consumers would readily 50
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pay more for ethically and sustainably made clothes. As per the market estimate and reports, the sales of baby and toddler wear scaled up from Rs. 5,790 crores in 2016 to Rs. 8,950 crores in 2019. The market is shining bright in terms of displaying opportunities for further growth and proliferation.
fashion is no longer just about trends and design; however, it is also a means to encourage sustainable choices.
Manufacturing hub of organic textile in India Tiruppur in Tamil Nadu has a host of integrated units and thousands of MSMEs (medium, small and micro enterprises) that carry out specific functions for yarn, textiles and apparel manufacturing making it the leading knits production hub of the country. It is also known as the knitwear capital of India as it accounts for 90% of India's cotton knitwear export. India boasts of exclusive zones for garment factories, such as Tirupur and Bengaluru in South India and Noida and Gurugram in the North part of India.
According to a report by TOI, Myntra, which has 40 dedicated brands and 100 national brands that carry infant wear in their assortment, is planning to take onboard some dedicated organic clothing brands and winter collection for babies very soon.
How could we possibly buy things for ourselves, while taking care of the environment and making responsible choices when fashion is concerned. That is why it is termed as 'Eco-Fashion' or 'Sustainable Fashion' as it drives us to make sustainable choices.
The baby fashion segment has definitely snowballed its size especially in the last few years and there are existing leading players in the segment which has launched its baby and kids apparel category. With India being home to an estimated 120 million kids in the 0-4 year age group, the retailers believe the growth rate of the infant-wear market is quite parallel to the kidswear market. So much so that selling small garments has truly become a big business for retailers.
GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification and Organic Textile production in India It is an internationally recognized organic textile standard. This ensures the organic status of textiles from the harvesting of the raw materials through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing all the way to labeling, in order to provide credible assurances to the consumer. Only textile products that contain a minimum of 70% organic fibers can become GOTS certified.
Leading the frontier: Organic Baby and Kids Fashion Brands With the sharp rise in sustainable clothes manufacturing, there are a number of emerging distinct line of organic baby wear and kids wear brands in India.
India is the leading global textile manufacturer and second largest producer of natural textile fibers in the world and the major fiber produced is cotton. Other fibers produced in India include silk, jute, wool, and man-made fibers. Furthermore, 60% of the Indian textile industry is cotton-based. The global organic clothing industry represents just approximately 1% of global consumption. There has also been an influx of other natural fibers from Hemp, Lotus, Banana, Aloe Vera etc coming into fabrics reducing the stress on cotton farming.
Berrytree houses a wide range and stylish range of organic cotton apparels for babies and kids up to the age of 8 years. The company is headquartered in Delhi and it was started in 2014. Charting out the business story of the brand, Parin Jain, the founder of Berrytree says “well, honestly, it was a well thought out plan. We wanted to introduce something unique and there was absolutely nothing in the Organic Apparel segment either for kids or adults. We started to explore more avenues and reached the conclusion of entering the baby products market through our imported baby food. This helped us gain momentum and establish ourselves in the Indian market. The idea was
Now, how viable and potent is this organic fashion segment is one important aspect to consider so as to understand and analyze its future growth in the fashion market. So, come to think of it,
Image: Berrytree
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to develop an umbrella with several organic baby/kids products that were exceptional in quality and were affordable at the same time.” As about the future growth of the organic babywear and kidswear market segment in India, vis-a-vis taking us through the growth journey of your brand, he says “it is promising, but still at an early stage. People are becoming more aware thanks to our massive efforts in trying to educate them about the importance of Organic living using Organic products. Our brand has grown over the years in terms of size and scale. We've enjoyed a good percentage of return customers who want quality products for their kids. We foresee a steady growth in the coming years, especially in our primary markets like Delhi and Mumbai. However, the challenge is to obtain good quality raw materials at reasonable prices.”
Elizabeth Jacob, Founder of Liz Jacob
Berrytree houses a wide range and stylish range of organic cotton apparels for babies and kids up to the age of 8 years… Parin Jain, the founder of Berrytree says “Our brand has grown over the years in terms of size and scale. We've enjoyed a good percentage of return customers who want quality products for their kids.”
resistance to pesticides suggest a higher usage of stronger pesticides which is stripping the land's natural fertility. This is not sustainable in the long run and as conscious customers, we need to slam the brakes when it comes to rapid consumption. This effect is catastrophic for the fashion industry as well as for the environment. Circularity in fabric as well as fibre should become a key business vision for companies and individuals. Game changing organizations like the Organic and Fair-trade Cotton Secretariat (OFCS) and OCA (Organic Cotton Accelerators) are now working together with farmers to make a positive change. Fashion brands should join hands with these industry bodies and source their cotton responsibly, rather than blindly depend on organic certification claims made by many retailers. As a small boutique player, we are also trying to deliver on this objective and bring about this change.”
Liz Jacob is an artistic line of sustainable clothing for little children crafted out of natural fabrics such as pure cottons, organic cottons, and linens. Founded in 2014, the brand has come a long way from being a small homegrown hand-painted line of clothes to a more established player in the niche, handcrafted and 'responsible fashion' segment. Liz Jacob is the creative expression of designer Elizabeth Jacob (Liz) whose aesthetics naturally lean towards understated, simplistic elegance and fresh pastel palettes.
Founded in 2014, Liz Jacob is an artistic line of sustainable clothing for little children crafted out of natural fabrics such as pure cottons, organic cottons, and linens.
According to Elizabeth Jacob, founder of Liz Jacob, “Customers are so evolved these days and many do care about our sustainability narrative. Some are ready to pay a premium for organic cottons but yes, the majority is still yet to make that transition. That behavioral shift needs to be responsibly promoted by multiple influencers on social media and mainstream media, who should actively take up this cause. The ethos of our brand is built on sustainable and ethical trade practices that focus on reducing wastage of all resources, supporting grassroots level artisans, and promoting only sustainable, natural fabrics, especially local textiles.”
Fashion meets sustainability: Sustainable Revolution in Fashion Also because of the advent of ecommerce and being wellinformed in the past decade, the Indian consumer have more often than not been buying apparels that are not only high on fashion or is trendy, but also, pretty high on the 'sustainable' factor. The increasing importance of sustainable and transparent supply chains are clear trends affecting the buying habits of consumers.
As about the environmental impact of the fashion industry and the manufacturing of textiles and the much needed positive change that fashion companies need to pledge to bring about, she says “an alarming increase of pests and their increasing www.mommybabytimes.com
To ensure that the fashion sector incorporates sustainability with regard to social aspects, economic dependencies and ecological sensitivities, right from the outset, there are now different brands coming up in the fashion sector which are 52
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Image: Berrytree
pledging to use only sustainable materials in the textile manufacturing. This is the new initiative launched by Sustainable Revolution championed by Union Minister for Textiles Smriti Zubin Irani which aims to move towards sustainable fashion that contributes to a clean environment.
Awareness of local contexts Leading to a sharp rise in the growth of the organic textile manufacturing are a number of factors like more and more awareness and resources in terms of knowledge. Cotton plays an important role in the Indian economy as the country's textile industry is predominantly cotton-based. And India ranks number one as the top manufacturer of organic textile across the globe.
Project SU.RE (sustainable resolution) involves 16 leading retail fashion brands like Future Group, Shoppers Stop, Aditya Birla Retail, Arvind Brands, Lifestyle, Max, Raymond, House of Anita Dongre, Westside, Spykar, Levis, Bestsellers and Trends as signatories. These brands have committed to source a significant portion of their total consumption using sustainable raw materials and processes by 2025. It is one of the most responsible and timely step taken by the apparel industry of India, and these brands to commit to move towards sustainable fashion.
In the fashion landscape, innovation is now not only defined in terms of designing and creating something new from the scratch, but as a part of the sustainable fashion, there is also this sub-trend of up cycling, i.e. to create products of higher quality or value than the original.
With the increased dialogue on sustainability and its importance, many youngsters are scouting for sustainable solutions to bring a much needed positive change and are starting their own line of recycled/up cycled goods.
According to Elizabeth Jacob, founder of Liz Jacob, “The ethos of our brand is built on sustainable and ethical trade practices… and promoting only sustainable, natural fabrics, especially local textiles.” Benefits of Organic Textile
Recycling: Responsible and Ethical Fashion
Organic baby clothes are devoid of any cotton pesticides as well as a range of harmful or risky substances found on synthetic materials, which not only provides peace of mind for parents, but can help reduce the chances of baby's skin becoming irritated.
The textile manufacturers are also focussing on minimal waste generation and there are some sincere efforts being taken in the direction to adopt recycling in the making. Amid the growing trend of sustainable fashion choices, the rise in the idea of recycling clothes and accessories is also scaling up fast in the textile manufacturing.
The key advantage of organic textile is that the crops aren't treated with pesticides, insecticides, herbicides and GMOs. These toxins which harmful for farmers and workers, consumers, and the entire wildlife eco-systems are kept away from the making of organic textiles. The use of chemicals and synthetic materials has effects all the way to the end of the supply chain. And on the other hand, manual farming and organic and herbal dyed practices have a lower carbon footprint because of the entire process takes up less of fuel and energy and releases fewer greenhouse gases in comparison with chemical textiles. www.mommybabytimes.com
With the increased dialogue on sustainability and its importance, many youngsters are scouting for sustainable solutions to bring a much needed positive change and are starting their own line of recycled goods. There are many emerging Indian and International brands with sustainable/ethical fashion as the core principle. This movement and process of bringing this positive change to the fashion industry and the fashion system is truly a significant revolution towards greater environmental integrity and maintaining the ecological footprint. n 53
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HKTDC – Hong Kong Toys, Baby Products, Stationery and Licensing Fairs concluded successfully Helping industry explore new markets, HKTDC fairs were held from 6- 9 Jan, 20. The smart and kidult toys are in demand in the market
Image: HKTDC
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he HKTDC Hong Kong Toys & Games Fair and the HKTDC Hong Kong Baby Products Fair, both organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), and the Hong Kong International Stationery Fair, organized by the HKTDC and Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, drew to a successful close. Together with the HKTDC Hong Kong International Licensing Show, which concluded on 8th Jan, 2020, the first four fairs of 2020 attracted close to 108,000 buyers from 130 countries and regions, helping the industry to identify new sources of customers. More than 41,400 buyers attended the Toys & Games Fair, while close to 28,200 and over 17,800 buyers visited the Baby www.mommybabytimes.com
Products Fair and Stationery Fair respectively. In addition, over 20,000 visitors attended the Licensing Show. Benjamin Chau, Deputy Executive Director of the HKTDC, said: “In response to the recent social unrest in Hong Kong and external economic factors, the HKTDC has allocated more resources to invite quality buyers from around the world to source products in the city. More than 200 buying missions were organised to visit the Toys & Games Fair, Baby Products Fair and Stationery Fair. The number of buyers from individual markets – including Israel, Russia, Turkey, Spain and Argentina – increased, helping the industry to explore new opportunities.” Mr Chau added that the sourcing activity 54
at the fairs was buoyant, with smart products remaining popular among buyers. Toys and models targeted at the young-at-heart also attracted a lot of attention and brought new impetus to the market.
Smart products, models and figurines put Kidult World in limelight This year's fairs featured an assortment of new products from about 2,950 exhibitors. At the Toys & Games Fair, new exhibitor Hanwang Technology from Mainland China showcased its Bionic Flapping Wing RC Flying Bird − GoGoBird Series, integrating intelligent sensing technology and artificial intelligence, in the Smart-Tech Toys
Nov-Dec, 2019
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Image: HKTDC
zone. Yingjian Liu, the company's Chairman of the Board, said they met new distributors from Germany, Korea and the United States in the first four hours of the show, with each distributor confirming to buy several thousand pieces on the spot. Kidult World also received positive responses from buyers. Leo Wong, Director of Bigboystoys Company from Hong Kong, said the company specialises in the design and production of licensed collectibles for characters such as Street Fighter, the King of Fighters and Ninja Turtles. “This is our third year participating in the Toys & Games Fair, which provides an important channel for us to find new distributors and wholesalers and to secure new orders,” Mr Wong said. “We have met with new buyers from Europe and the Middle East who are very interested in the King of Fighters figures. We will conclude
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orders with three or four serious buyers from Europe soon.”
Vibrant business and sourcing activity at fairs Radek Ostrcil, owner of Czech Republic buyer Pyro & Art s.r.o., who was visiting the Toys & Games Fair for the first time, said the event offered a great choice of products. He found two potential suppliers for fireworks in the first two days of the fair. “Each year, I buy around US$500,000 worth of fireworks. With the help of the HKTDC businessmatching team, I will meet with more exhibitors and buy one container of fireworks.” A new buyer at the Baby Products Fair, Kid's Brasil is the biggest e-tailer of baby products in Brazil. Whelvis Cortes Naves, CEO and Co-founder of the company, said: “This is my first visit to the Hong Kong Baby Products Fair. I
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have found five new suppliers from Mainland China and will buy quality feeding and nursery items worth US$200,000 from each of them. This has been a smooth and fruitful sourcing trip.” Scott Wen, Manager of Mirage International Industries Inc from the US, said his company had participated at the Stationery Fair for 20 years because the visitors are all serious industry players. “The fair is an important promotional channel for us because we found all our biggest customers here over the years, making up around 40% of our annual revenue. This year, we are promoting eco-friendly products to meet demand from green consumers, attracting a lot of buyer enquiries from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Russia. We are happy with the results.” n Source: HKTDC
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Hasbro launches ‘Grab and Go’ Gaming range in India The game range is travel-friendly and is designed to be played at home or on long journeys ensuring an interesting gaming experience for kids and adults alike lives of our consumers especially during key moments, we developed this range that consumers of all ages will enjoy. The Grab and Go range ensures an exciting and interesting gaming experience anytime, anywhere with family or group of friends,” said Bhavesh Somaya, Country Manager, India and the Middle East, Hasbro. November 15, 2019
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ne of the leading global play and entertainment company, Hasbro has introduced the 'Grab and Go' range of games in India with its latest television commercial. Each game in the Grab and Go range is priced at INR 399 and is available at all leading toy stores. “At Hasbro, we are constantly innovating and reimagining our brand portfolio to bring the best play experiences for parents and kids in India. Keeping in mind the role of toys and games in the
The advert features a family of four travelling in a train wondering what they could possibly do to pass their time and have fun. They are introduced to the Grab and Go games which uplifts their mood and makes their journey enjoyable. The script and storyboard were developed by Cake Mix Studios, Hasbro's in-house creative agency. While the film has been created and developed by Workship Creative Solution, a content company based in Mumbai. Somaya further added “with the range of popular games in a travel-friendly version, we aim to bring different genera-
tions of families and friends together for fun and meaningful interactions.” The toys and games market in India is further projected to cross USD 3.3 billion (Rs.23.7 thousand crores) by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 13.3% during 2019-2024. Hasbro is one of the leading key players in the Indian market. Hasbro, Inc. is an American worldwide toy and board game company. It is the largest toy maker in the world in terms of stock market value, and third largest with revenues. Hasbro offers a variety of ways for the consumers to experience its iconic brands, including Nerf, My little pony, Transformers, Play-Doh, Monopoly, Baby Alive, Magic: The Gathering and Power Rangers, as well as its premier partner brands. Through its entertainment labels, Allspark Pictures and Allspark Animation, the Company is building its brands globally through great storytelling and content on all screens. n
Target to power the new website of Toys “R” Us One of the largest US retailers, Target Corp has a huge toy inventory, and fulfillment services which will bolster up the online presence of new Toys“R”Us store and the online experiences of its consumers. October 09, 2019 Target has officially declared that it is teaming up with the parent company of the Toys “R” Us brand- TRU Kids, to enable it to revamp the website of Toys “R” Us. This partnership will allow Toys “R” Us to restore its online presence, post bankruptcy, as it has also correspondingly started opening Toys “R” Us stores in the US again. www.mommybabytimes.com
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The website of the toy retailing company, which had closed all its 880 stores last year in the US after liquidation, was restarted this week, presenting videos and articles on the latest toy trends and brands. This deal could also be a huge boost to Target's already sturdy toy business near to the holiday season. Starting Tuesday, shoppers who visit ToysRUs.com will be redirected to Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES Target.com to complete their purchases on choosing the “Buy” option. The deal comes as the first two new Toys R Us stores — one in Houston, and another one in Paramus, New Jersey will open in November as part of a small comeback of the defunct iconic toy chain in the U.S. Target will also manage the online sales in those two stores. Actually, the customers can't actually
News shop from ToysRUs.com, however, they can explore "in-depth product reviews" and "hot toy lists to help shoppers pick out the perfect toys and gifts for kids of all ages." Tru Kids had also signed a deal recently with Candytopia, a maker of candybased art exhibits, to start pop up shops this month in Chicago and Atlanta. Also, Tru Kids Brands has also announced that
it has plans to open 10 more locations in 2020. From now on, the orders on different Toys “R” Us products will be fulfilled by Target, and users will be able to choose from different delivery options that could be a same-day pick-up, or free two-day shipping, or even same-day delivery with Shipt, a third-party logistics partner. n
Pigeon India celebrates 10 successful years in India One of the most renowned mother and baby care brand had started its journey in 1957 and entered the Indian market in 2009. in Greater Noida. The key products manufactured at this plant are: silicone nipples and baby bottles which are the best-selling products for the group. This facility serves as a production base not only for India but also for surrounding countries.
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igeon- a leading Mother and Baby Care brand celebrated its glorious 10 year anniversary in India at Roseate House, New Delhi on 15th Oct'19. The celebration was attended by Pigeon Global CEO Mr. Norimasa Kitazawa who addressed the media and the other stake holders and highlighted the vision of Pigeon. During the anniversary event, Managing Director at Pigeon India, Mr. Keiichi
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Funakoshi thanked the media and the internal and external stakeholders for the contribution of in the growth of the company and its consistent success. The Pigeon Group had entered the Indian market in 2009 with establishing its sales office in Mumbai, i.e. they used to import the products from other manufacturing locations. Six years later, in 2015, the brand established its manufacturing plant in the country which spans approximately 12,000 sqm and is located
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The product range of Pigeon comprises of baby care and maternity-related products which are divided into 9 main categories: Breast Feeding, Nursing Bottles & Nipples, Cleansing & Sterilizing, Baby Skin Care, Baby Hygiene, Baby Oral Care, Weaning, Pacifiers & Teethers and Maternity Product. The category of 'Baby Hygiene' is one of the most extensive as it includes diapers, wipes, tissues, laundry care and hygiene & health care accessories. Pigeon, i.e. a Japanese Mother and Baby care brand promotes baby's healthy growth and the happiness of mother and family through advanced research and development innovation. For over a halfcentury since our establishment, Pigeon has worked tirelessly to develop beneficial maternity and baby care products for easy, enjoyable use. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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India's fastest-growing Mom & Baby Care Brand, The Moms Co., gets USD 5 mn in Series B funding The capital raised from Saama Capital and DSG Consumer Partners to be used to grow the brand to Rs. 100 crores, with expansion across the range of solutions, technology and offline presence. Moms and our strong supply and channel partners, we are committed to making The Moms Co. the largest natural and certified toxin-free solution provider for Moms and Babies from India. We are excited to partner with investors who understand the Indian consumer space deeply and with their support, will unleash investments in more products, technology and in expanding into offline stores over the next 18 months." December 10, 2019
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stablished in 2017 to address a huge gap of toxin-free products in the Indian market for pre-natal and post-natal consumption, and baby care, The Moms Co. has raised USD 5 million from renowned FMCG investors Saama Capital, DSG Consumer Partners and others in a Series B round of funding. The Moms Co. brand, launched in March 2017, has quickly grown to serve more than 5 lakh customers across 10,000 pincodes in India and continues to be among the fastest-growing Mom & Baby Care brands online. The 5mn USD funding is the company's third round, following an angel investment round in 2016 and a Series-A round in 2017. The last round was a USD 1 Million also investment by Saama Capital and DSG Partners. With robust partnerships, The Moms Co. is targeting to become a Rs. 100 cr. brand in the space over the next 12-18 months. Malika Sadani, Founder & CEO, The Moms Co. said, "We have been in the space for the past two years and with 25 solutions, have seen exceptional revenue and brand growth. With the love of www.mommybabytimes.com
Shripad Nadkarni, Brand Mentor and Investor who has consulteded over 250 brands in India added, “The underpinning of The Moms Co. philosophy is a deep understanding of mothers and babies with an uncompromising commitment to safe, natural and certified toxin-free products.” “Over the last two years since we first partnered Malika, The Moms Co. has quickly become India's leading toxinfree mother and baby personal care brand and recognised as a product innovator. Every product has been developed learning from Malika's journey as a mother and the needs of her two young daughters. We are excited to continue on this journey as The Moms Co. continues developing best in class products and empowering women.”, Deepak Shahdadpuri of DSG Consumer Partners, whose other investments include added. Ash Lilani, Managing Partner at Saama Capital said, “We are strong believers in The Moms Co. philosophy of having a deep focus on moms, babies and children care by delivering the highest quality products with the best, natural, non-toxic ingredients. We strongly believe that 58
The Moms Co. is going to continue building this category with additional innovative products in the future, all created with the hugest global standards.” Based in New Delhi, in a matter of only two years, this mompreneur led start-up for toxin-free and natural products for pre, post natal care, and babies has diversified its offerings across categories of face care, hair care, and yet others, with over 25 SKUs. The brand has a physical presence in 5 cities across India, including retail presence inside 15 of the top maternity hospitals in the country. It counts over half a million customers across all channels, with most of its products being very highly rated by consumers across platforms. At The Moms Co., the products are made without any compromise. The brand has brought in experts from across the world to help them create the safest natural formulations that are certified toxin-free. The products are formulated and tested to make sure they meet every international safety standard there is - across US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia. The team works with experts around the globe, and today it is India's first Australian Certified Toxin-Free ™ brand, certified by the Safe Cosmetics Australia™ - a Toxin-Free Campaign. The product ranges are also Made Safe™, Australia Allergy Certified™ and Dermatologically Tested. The Moms Co. continues to grow at a steady pace of 15% to 20% month-onmonth with growth being driven by brand love, repeat buyers and new products. Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES ABOUT THE MOMS CO. Established in 2017 to address a huge gap of toxin-free products in the Indian market for pre-natal and post-natal consumption, and baby care, The Moms Co. works with experts across India, Australia & Switzerland to benefit people who are conscious about what they use for their skincare. At The Moms Co., the products are made with love and without compromise. The brand has brought in experts from across the world to help them create the safest natural formulations that are certified toxin-free. The products are formulated and tested to make sure they meet every international safety standard there is across US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Australia. The Moms Co. is India's first Australian Certified Toxin-Free ™ brand, certified by the Safe Cosmetics Australia™ - a Toxin-Free Campaign. The product ranges are also Made Safe™, Australia Allergy Certified™ and Dermatologically Tested.
News The Moms Co. has raised 2 rounds of funding so far with an angel investment round in 2016 and a Pre Series-A round in 2017. The last round was a USD 1mn investment by renowned FMCG investors Saama Capital and DSG Consumer Partners.
ABOUT MOM-PRENEUR MALIKA SADANI A passionate entrepreneur and a loving mother full of enthusiasm, Malika Datt Sadani is the Founder & CEO of The Moms Co., one of India's toxin-free brands catering to expectant and new mothers seeking natural, chemical-free products for their daily personal care regimen. The idea for The Moms Co. came to Malika Sadani - a banker-turnedentrepreneur - in 2012. She had just moved back to India from London and couldn't find safe, natural products for her daughters. An expert in her own right, Malika feels she has always been an obsessive mother and there are many moms like her who want the best for themselves
Malika Datt Sadani is the Founder & CEO of The Moms Co.
and their babies, who hate having to compromise on the safety of the products they use for themselves and their family. She believes, with The Moms Co., she has embarked on a mission to help moms in India and across the world make safe, natural and effective choices for themselves and their loved ones. n
Mattel announces sustainable sourcing principles The iconic toy-making firm having global presence has committed to achieve bio-based plastic materials in all of its products and packaging by the year 2030. This new move marks the expansion of the company's Environmental Sustainable Sourcing Principles that it had announced back in the year 2011.
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etting forth its goal of being completely sustainable, Mattel Inc. has made known its aspiration to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastics materials in both its products and packaging by 2030. www.mommybabytimes.com
Presently, the toy company sources 93% of the paper and wood fiber used in its packaging and products from recycled or Forest Stewardship Council material, going beyond its 2018 record of 90%. In the first half of 2020, the company plans to launch its first product corresponding with this goal: the iconic Fisher-Price Rock-a-Stack made from sugarcanebased plastics and in 100% recycled or sustainably sourced material, the toymaker said in a statement. 59
Also, the company has adopted the How2Recycle label, a standardized labeling system that informs the people about the recycling instructions. Earlier this year, Mattel had also built up an Environmental Sustainability Council having a team of leaders dedicated to actively advancing the company's sustainability efforts in several areas, such as materials innovation. “Environmental sustainability is a corporate priority at Mattel and creating sustainable products and packaging is an important part of our commitment to the planet,” said Mattel Chairman and CEO Ynon Kreiz. “Our dedicated crossNov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES functional team made sustainability a key priority throughout the product and packaging design and production process. Today, we are delivering on that priority by announcing our first product made from sustainable materials and we look forward to expanding our efforts to all Mattel brands.” Fisher-Price will celebrate its 90th
News anniversary in 2020, and by the end of the year, all Rock-a-Stack toys sold worldwide will be made with plantbased plastics and packaged in 100% recycled or sustainably sourced material. The American multinational toy manufacturing company, Mattel was founded in 1945 with its headquarters located in El Segundo, California. It has
its presence in more than 40 countries and territories and sells products in over 150 nations across the world. Mattel houses best-selling brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels, American Girl and Fisher-Price brands, which includes Little People, Power Wheels and a wide array of entertainment-inspired toy lines. n
Myntra brings kids wear brand OshKosh B’Gosh to India in partnership with Tablez The American kids' apparel company in 1895 which is a subsidiary of Carter's has partnered with the retailing arm of Lulu Group International that operates a chain of hypermarkets and retail companies.
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yntra has recently introduced the launch of OshKosh B'Gosh, i.e. one of the mostrecognized children's clothing brands in the United States. The characteristic style of the kids fashion brand is rooted in denim, trendy color palette and a fashionable apparel collection for distinct age groups from 0 up to 14 year olds. Along with iconic products like the World's Best Overalls and Heritage Logo Hoodies – OshKosh B'Gosh brings kidswear that is unique and upbeat. OshKosh B'Gosh is being launched for the first time in India and will be available online on Myntra through Tablez, the leading organized retail group, the official partner of Oshkosh B'Gosh in India. Speaking on the launch, Amar Nagaram, Head – Myntra Jabong said, “We are delighted to bring OshKosh B'Gosh®, one of the United States leading kids wear brands to our customers in India in www.mommybabytimes.com
partnership with Tablez. We are committed to creating a fashion destination for kids and are focused on building the infant and footwear portfolio, while enhancing the overall catalogue for kids and pre-teens. With our large user base and wide reach, Myntra offers the perfect channel for OshKosh B'Gosh® to scale swiftly, in this market while also helping us solidify our position as the leading destination for kids wear in the country.” According to industry reports, the kids fashion market in India in 2017 was estimated at Rs 66,904 crores accounting for 20 percent of total apparel market of the country and it is expected to grow at CAGR of 8.1 percent to reach Rs 145,445 crores by 2027. Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, Tablez, on the occasion of the launch said, “We are very excited to bring OshKosh B'Gosh to India and partner with Myntra, to offer the brand on its well reached platform. OshKosh B'Gosh is a timetested kids wear brand from the USA, offering contemporary fashion with a wide variety of styles and trends. We believe that it has great potential to become one of the leading brands in the kids wear segment in India. Being a 60
pioneer in the e-commerce market and its extensive reach, Myntra is the perfect partner that will enable OshKosh B'Gosh to reach a large expanse of the fashionconscious consumers across the country.” OshKosh B'gosh is an American children's apparel company founded in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in 1895 and is a subsidiary of Carter's. Initially, the company started its trajectory as a smalltown manufacturer of adult work wear; it has now come to be known as for its children's clothing, especially bibbed overalls. While Myntra is an Indian fashion e-commerce company headquartered in Bengaluru, India which had started its operations in 2007. Myntra has over 65,000 options from over 400 kids wear brands and is the one stop destination for branded apparels with a nice assortment of huge global brands and small-scale domestic boutiques. Tablez India, the retail arm division of LuLu Group International owns franchise rights of leading international brands such as Toys “R” Us, Build-A-Bear, Cold Stone Creamery, Galito's, Sugar Factory, Genghis Grill and Pancake House. It is a multi-brand retail company having partnership with 21 global brands. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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FirstCry enters into kids education sector by acquiring Oi Playschool Softbank-backed baby products e-tailer has announced its entry into the early childhood education.
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irstcry Group's Edubees Education has acquired play school chain Oi Play Schools of Hyderabad-based People Combine, the owner of Oakridge International Schools. While the amount of the deal is undisclosed, FirstCry seeks to leverage its premium chain and educational curriculum to make its mark in the pre-primary education segment with this diversification. According to a report by TOI, the baby care product e-tailer plans to increase the number of Oi Playschool's centres to 1,000 across India by 2024. “What is attractive about Oi is that it is a premium chain and their educational curriculum is one of the best in the market with very passionate franchisee partners who are more educationists than business owners,” said FirstCry CEO Supam Maheshwari.
The Oi playschool has properly structured educational programmes including prenursery, nursery and pre-preparatory classes. Presently, the playschool chain functions on a franchise model, runs about 55 centers in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. The Pune-based company also operates a community platform called FirstCry Parenting, where it gets 13 million monthly active users. It has also an activity based subscription box called Intellikit that is an activity based learning program designed for the holistic development of toddlers, preschoolers & kids (2-6 Years). Since its outset, the Pune-based FirstCry has acquired investments from leading corporate firms like Softbank, Mahindra Group, Chiratae Ventures (formerly known as IDG Ventures India), New Enterprise Associates, SAIF Partners, Vertex Ventures and a few others to name. The company has raised more than USD 400 million last year from SoftBank Vision Fund and is valued at around USD 850 million. Currently, the company has
about 400 offline stores in 28 states in India and had recently expanded internationally starting with Dubai. Founded in 2010, Oi Play School currently runs 55 pre-school centers, most of them in Hyderabad and Bengaluru. It is regarded as one of the fastest growing playschool chain in India to being featured amongst the top preschools of Hyderabad & Bangalore. Founded by Supam Maheshwari and Amitava Saha in 2010, FirstCry offers more than two lakh baby and kids products across categories that include diapering, feeding and nursing, skin and health care, toys, clothes, footwear and fashion accessories among others. The platform presents a varied and an allencompassing range of products from an array of brands including global names such as Funskool, Hotwheels, Medela, Pampers, Disney etc. In 2016, FirstCry had bought Mahindra's babycare business division BabyOye for about Rs. 362 crores. n
Bed Bath & Beyond® introduces first-ever children's private label home furnishings brand: Marmalade™ The collection of the children furnishings brand rolled out by one of the leading American retailer spans toddlers to teens. November 12, 2019
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ed Bath & Beyond has started its first-ever private label for children's furnishings Marmalade™. The new brand offers a www.mommybabytimes.com
lively and chic assortment of durable home furnishings and décor including furniture, lighting, rugs, wallpaper and decorative accents. The exclusive assortment brings a stylish collection of well-priced and high quality kid's 61
furniture and décor items that is designed to transition seamlessly from toddlerhood to tween or pre-teen years. The collection encompasses 196 home furnishings items for toddlers, kids and
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Mommy & Baby TIMES tweens. Area rugs and framed canvasses constitute the majority of the debut collection, which also has wallpaper, lighting, furniture, décor, tepees, a floor cushion and a deck pillow. The prices start at USD 12.99 (Rs. 931 approx.) and run up to USD 599.99 (Rs. 43,000 approx.) for a platform bed. "We are beyond excited to bring Marmalade to life and into the homes of our customers who desire to outfit their little one's space with just as much style and care as the rest of their home," Debbie Propst, Bed Bath & Beyond's Chief Brand Officer said in a press release. "With Marmalade, we are providing customers with the pieces necessary to create a space
News for their children that is functional, fun and uniquely their own." In terms of design, each product brings fun details, and retro-cool style to bring a sense of joyful and carefree vibe to be used through childhood years. The Marmalade collection draw influences from urban, mid-century, global and is inspired by the ingenuity of traditional design. Within the brand, there are multiple collections: Jensen which has kid-friendly mid-century moderninspired pieces; Kingsley includes more traditional with ginghams and refined hardware, and Ellis has a collection that can be defined as classic.
The new collection will be available in select Bed Bath & Beyond and buybuy BABY stores. The whole assortment is now available online at the official website of Bed Bath & Beyond as well as buybuy BABY. The collection is also available on the website of One Kings Lane. Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. is an American chain of domestic merchandise retail stores which was started in 1971. It operates a number of stores in the United States, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico. Marmalade is its third of six private brands since Bee & Willow debuted last spring and the retailer's first-ever children's home furnishing collection. n
TheAsianparent to launch its own baby care line The Singapore-headquartered parenting platform which was started in 2009 reaches nearly 30 million users monthly through its website and app. A content-sharing platform containing valuable nuggets of information and resources for every stage of a parent's journey – from pre-conception and pregnancy to raising a child, theAsianparent will utilize the new funds to diversify its business by working on the creation of a new line of baby care products. November 21, 2019
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he parenting content platform theAsianparent announced that it has raised a seven-figure capital in series C2 funding round from new investors Mirae Asset Financial Group and Naver Corporation through the Mirae Asset-Naver New Growth Fund. The company is widely popular in Southeast Asian region having presence in 12 countries and its content is available in 11 languages. Aiming for USD 100 million revenue milestones within the next few years, it is the largest parenting platform in the continent which reaches more than 30 million mothers across its markets. www.mommybabytimes.com
“Expansion into commerce is a natural progression for TheAsianparent,” said company founder and CEO Roshni Mahtani. “As a purpose-driven maternal healthtech company, access to safe and healthy products at an affordable price point is complementary to the content we provide to our 30 million-strong parenting community.” Furthermore, theAsianparent will also be earmarking more resources for upgrading its technology infrastructure to properly hold up the user base by the means of investments in advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence. Jikwang Chung, head of the new growth investment division at Mirae Asset 62
Capital who oversees international growth stage/venture capital investments affirmed: “We are always on the lookout for forward-thinking, fastgrowing companies to invest in, and that's exactly what theAsianparent is. We've seen how they've grown from a start-up to a multinational company with almost 30 million users, and are happy to be a part of their journey.” TheAsianparent is the flagship brand of multinational tech and digital publishing company Tickled Media Pte. Ltd. The company had raised an undisclosed eight-figure sum in Series C funds in July led by Fosun International and joined by investors including Chinese ecommerce company JD.com, venture firm ATM Capital and Redbadge Pacific. Started in 2009, TheAsianparent is now the number one parenting website in Southeast Asia. It has its presence in 12 countries including Singapore, Thailand, India, Vietnam, Australia, Japan and Kenya amongst others. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Disney’s Frozen 2 collaborates with 67 brands The association of Disney Consumer Products leading up to the release of Frozen 2 in India on 22 November include Pantaloons, Hasbro, Flipkart, ITC, Asian Paints, Hamleys and Scholastic amongst others. said, “We are excited to give Disney's Frozen fans an opportunity to relive their favorite movie moments through the best play experiences. To celebrate the magic of Disney's Frozen 2, Hasbro has introduced unique and innovative play patterns such as singing Anna and Elsa dolls in new signature outfits, hair braiding tools, and even a Fold and Go Arendelle Castle portable playset.” The multinational conglomerate ITC has launched a line of stationery products -- notebooks, geometry boxes and colouring sets based on the movie. Whereas Flipkart will bring the world of Anna and Elsa closer to kids with Frozen 2 merchandise across categories such as kids' fashion, toys and school supplies. For this association, Pantaloons' has just launched a Frozen collection for toddlers and junior girls. Ryan Fernandes, Head of Marketing & E‐Commerce, Pantaloons said, “Frozen is a classic that has left the audience mesmerized with its onscreen magic. We at Pantaloons understand how kids connect with their favourite movie characters and we are delighted to launch a collection of apparel inspired by Frozen. The new range for toddler and junior girls vividly captures the movie's essence and lets them flaunt their favourite character merchandise.”
November 19, 2019
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isney's Frozen 2, the sequel to one of the highestgrossing animated films of all time is going to release soon. Disney Consumer Products business in India has collaborated with 67 brands across various categories to promote the animation film. This is a record tie-up as it is the highest number of brand associations for an animation flick that hits screen this Friday in the country till date. With 67 brands as sponsors for its upcoming animated musical fantasy Frozen 2 includes brands like toy retailer Hamleys, toy brand Hasbro, fashion brands Max and Reliance Trends, clothing chain Pantaloons and e-commerce company Flipkart.
"Frozen" has been the second-highest-grossing animated movie of all time was released in 2013. Frozen won two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song (Let It Go). It is definitely one of the most successful and popular feature animation fantasy musical which enjoys huge popularity amongst kids and adults alike. For one thing, promotions and marketing of Hollywood movies in India has build up especially over the past few years with the aggressive usage of social media. Also, there has been a sharp increase in the number of partnering brands. This is especially true for the kids-related and animated movies as the cultural impact of animation movies and its characters on the impressionable minds of kids is phenomenally great. It naturally leads the kids wanting more of their favourite animation movie and characters beyond their screens resulting in the popularity of animation cartoon character merchandise and products. n
Talking about the collaboration, Sanjeet Mehta, Executive Director and Head, Consumer Products, Disney India affirms “Frozen is amongst the top franchises for Disney's consumer products business in India and the excitement around it has gone up several notches with a buzz around the upcoming movie. We are witnessing high demand from fans for products inspired by their favourite Frozen characters and we are thrilled to launch a vast collection across categories to celebrate the release of Frozen 2.” Hasbro has introduced a range of new dolls and playsets based on Anna and Elsa and other Frozen characters that is made available at most major retailers and e-commerce sites. Bhavesh Somaya, Country Manager, India, and the Middle East, Hasbro www.mommybabytimes.com
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Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES
News
Lovevery raises USD 20 million from Silicon Valley's biggest names The Boise-based educational toys company has pocketed funding from Google ventures Maveron, Google Ventures, Reach Capital, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, and Collaborative Fund in the series B round.
October 24, 2019
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company that makes educational toys which are designed to advance learning and brain development in toddlers and kids, Lovevery has gathered USD 20 million (that amounts to Rs. 142 crores) in its series B-round of funding. Silicon Valley investors, including Google Ventures and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (founded by Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan) has invested in the educational toys company. The brand had first launched an awardwinning 'Play Gym' for toddlers, then a
collection of Play Kits for kids which are age-appropriate and are carefully designed by experts. For instance, the newborn kit contains cards with interesting black-and-white images on it since babies take several weeks to fully develop their vision, and the kit for 19- to 21-month-olds has a usable flash light for toddlers. There is a booklet that is included with the kit for parents to know more about their child developmental stage and needs. With this recent funding, Lovevery would start developing toys for older kids and provide parents with the resources to support and encourage their children's development. Products by Lovevery will be preferred by parents who are looking to cater to their children's developmental needs by offering them low-tech toys without succumbing to the tech-based toys. The brand is for the parents who wish to widen the horizons of their kids and to know the best ways of playing with toys to encourage all kinds of brain development. Lovevery's stage-based information and
play products are designed by child development experts, and have been received awards from TIME Magazine, Fast Company, Red Dot, and Parents' Choice. The company has shipped products to 1 million homes, mostly via subscription. The toys by the brand are made from sustainably forested wood, organic cotton and baby-safe plastics. Other products include The Play Gym, an organic cotton play tunnel, and the Buddy Stroller for pretend play. One of the company's products is a subscription to 10 play kits that covers from birth up to the age of 24 months. The award-winning children's goods and early learning company Lovevery had recently announced the launch of the Block Set system made of solid wood blocks for building spatial, language and problem-solving skills. It is supposed to be used by preschoolers. There are 70 heirloom quality pieces that work with each other in more than 20 stage-based activities. Lovevery which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho was founded by Jessica Rolph and Roderick Morris two years ago. n
Miku smart baby monitor going for international retail expansion This marks the retail expansion of the baby monitor into popular brick & mortar and online stores such as buybuy BABY, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy US & Canada. December 17, 2019
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iku baby monitor, the flagship product of Miku, captures and analyzes breathing, sound, and sleeping patterns www.mommybabytimes.com
with no wires or wearables, is made available online at buybuybaby.com, target.com, bedbathandbeyond.com, bestbuy.com, and bestbuy.ca, as well as in select US and Canadian retail loca64
tions. The baby monitor uses proprietary SensorFusion technology developed by a team of military research engineers. With its launch into 200+ storefronts globally, Miku, "the brightest mind in Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES
monitoring," is now more accessible than ever before, and will offer the opportunity for families to access the latest in baby monitoring technology. "We considered parents and caregivers every step of the way when creating Miku, from developing our technology to designing our product, and now families can easily gain precious peace of mind by seeing and purchasing our product in stores and on shelves," shared Eric White, Co-Founder and CEO of Miku. "On behalf of the entire Miku family, we could not be more thrilled to work with these leading mainstream retailers."
News The Miku Smart Baby Monitor has historically only been available via its website, after successfully launching to the public at CES in January 2019. Since its debut earlier this year, the brand has been well received by parents and critics alike, having already won The Bump's "Best Of Baby Awards", Babylist's "Best of Babytech Awards", two CES Innovation Awards for "Tech For A Better World" and "Fitness, Sports and Biotech", and The National Parenting Center Seal of Approval. "The Miku Smart Baby Monitor brings a whole new level of awareness and safety to the baby monitor market," added Colt Seman, Miku Co-Founder and CMO. "We're excited for the opportunity to share this with even more families with our retail expansion." The growing number of working parents, nuclear family households and enhanced standard of living has certainly given a new rise to new opportunities for several business segments, especially in innovative baby care products, such as a smart baby monitor. The smart baby
monitor market is expected to register a healthy growth across the world. Miku's proprietary technology combines multiple sensor modalities with machine learning to track a baby's breathing and sleep patterns through any clothing, in any position in a crib, and even in total darkness. An embedded Qualcomm processor operates in real time to analyze breathing, sleep, sound, and motion, and alerts parents immediately via a push notification to their mobile device. Miku allows a parent's awareness to go far beyond what is readily seen and heard, by tracking activity and metrics over time while providing comprehensive insights through the interactive Miku app. The Miku Smart Baby Monitor is available to purchase for 399.00 USD (Rs. 28,328) and 549.99 CAD (Rs. 29,735), with no added subscription fees. Based in Los Angeles, CA, Miku is a new technology company that brings the Miku Smart Baby Monitor as the first-ofits-kind, combining proprietary SensorFusion technology, Qualcomm processing, and next generation safety features in a sleek, modern design. n
Medela comes up with the Symphony Rental Program Symphony Breast Pump is a hospital grade breast pump with innovative 2-Phase Expression technology, which is designed according to the baby's nursing patterns and rhythms. December 10, 2019
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s many Indian mothers find breastpumps convenient and value- adding to their lifestyle, they look for better & comprehensive solutions in one pump. With this fact in mind, Medela has started the Symphony Rental Program in India. The Symphony Hospital Grade Pump is a research-based breast pump that has been developed to support mums for their entire breastfeeding journey: specifically, to help mothers in building www.mommybabytimes.com
up their milk supply, especially during difficult conditions like C-Section and preterm baby, where mothers usually cannot build adequate milk supply on their own. It is already installed in reputed hospitals and nursing homes across India. Symphony features Medela's initiation technology and 2-Phase Expression technology, comes with overflow protection and is equipped for double and single pumping. The combination of 2-Phase Expression technology with double pumping ensures mothers can 65
express more milk in less time. Its unique INITIATE and MAINTAIN programs build up a mother's milk supply with continued usage. Unlike normal personal use pumps, the Symphony is also helpful in conditions like mastitis or flat/inverted nipples. As more and more mothers find the use of Symphony pump at hospitals super convenient during their delivery, they feel it can help them at their homes too. Since the Symphony Rental Program is already a big hit in European countries, it is now made available in India to offer the best Nov-Dec, 2019
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Product Watch solution to Indian mothers. Medela's products are available across leading baby care outlets throughout India including leading e-commerce like FirstCry, Amazon and Flipkart. Its product range includes hospital-grade, double and single electric and manual personal breast pumps; breastfeeding accessories such as breast care products and specialty feeding devices. Headquartered in Baar, Switzerland, Medela has its presence in about 100 countries throughout the world and has an outstanding legacy of doing business for about 60 years. The company has 18 subsidiaries spanning across Europe, North America and Asia. n
Silver Cross introduces a new pram systemPacific Autograph The new pram system by the premium British nursery brand is launched as in the Autumn Winter'19 collection inspired by old Hollywood and early 50's chic and elegance. The stroller features premium twill fabrics, a high shine chassis and chrome toned wheel trims, whilst the super soft fur seat liner and quilted carrycot liner ensuring the comfort of the baby. The newborn bamboo-lined carrycot is suitable for overnight sleeping and there is a UPF 50+ sun protection and pop-out sun visor. The seat liner is also included which is reversible and has a faux fur. The 5-point safety harness and there is also an easy to use fitted rain cover included in the pram system. October 14, 2019
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ilver Cross has introduced a new stroller in the Autumn Winter'19 collection- Pacific Autograph. The pram is easy to push and fold and has multi-terrain tyres that give a sense of ease and comfort for the parent to move the stroller around. The stroller is www.mommybabytimes.com
The pram system is available in two colours to choose from- Ink and Bronze. It features quilted bamboo lining to the patent two-tone bumper bar and every premium detailing of this pram has been duly considered. The seat unit is reversible and one may choose from rear or forward facing with three different recline positions. 66
There is a high shine black chassis which allows for an all-in-one fold with the seat unit in place. The black gloss chassis also features a beautiful laser etched Autograph logo and there is also a huge basket under the seat which provides for more room for baby essentials. The adapters can be purchased as an accessory to complete the travel system. Silver Cross has an extensive collection of prams and pushchairs, a furniture range for home and nursery, as well as a wide range of car seats and accessories. Known as the 'de première classe' in the strollers' category, Silver Cross has carved a niche for itself and is trusted by the royal family for generations. By the mid 1900s, the company had made a name for designing and manufacturing the world's most exquisite and finest looking baby coacheswhich came to be known as the “RollsRoyce of prams”. It is the only pram manufacturer still producing coach-built prams in the UK. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Product Watch
PlayShifu Announces New Augmented Reality Toys Bengaluru-based PlayShifu has expanded its successful Plugo and Orboot product lines and also launches new flagship line Shifu Tacto. Shifu Plugo is an AR-powered gaming system that consists of one gamepad, numerous interchangeable gaming kits and one companion app. Each gaming kit offers age-adaptive educational games and builds STEAM disciplines through story-based challenges. Plugo Tunes (Ages 4-10): increase musical intelligence, persistence and creativity while learning to play piano through color association, Plugo Slingshot (Ages 4-10): boost physics skills with an AR-powered slingshot. Plugo Letters (Ages 410): improve language, storytelling and comprehension with exciting word games and fun, hands-on play. Shifu Orboot is perfect for homeschoolers, classrooms and parents to teach kids about planets through interactive experiences. Using a touchscreen device, kids explore a physical globe through visual storytelling, music and voice interactions and in-app quizzes and challenges.
PlayShifu’s newest flagship AR gaming experience, Shifu Tacto, turns any tablet into an interactive board game. PlayShifu is also launching three new gaming kits for Shifu Plugo and a whole new experience of its popular AR globe, Shifu Orboot, with two new planets to explore.
Powered by the Orboot app, available in eight languages, Shifu Orboot comes with one base, one companion app and offers two new interchangeable planets, including: World of Dinosaurs (Ages 4+): dive into the prehistoric world to learn about more than 50 dinosaur. Planet Mars (Ages 7+): get to know the space missions and rovers traversing Mars.
January 08, 2020
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layShifu, the leading augmented reality (AR) toy company teaching foundational STEAM skills through physical and digital play, launches its newest products ahead of the 2020 International CES. New products include Shifu Tacto, three new gaming kits for Shifu Plugo and a whole new experience of its popular AR globe, Shifu Orboot, with two new planets to explore.
"As we enter a new decade, PlayShifu's latest toys will continue to positively integrate physical and digital play to develop foundational learning skills," said Vivek Goyal, CEO of PlayShifu. "Whether your child is discovering new cultures around the world or learning physics using a catapult, our toys use the benefits of modern technology combined with tactile play to enhance the STEAM learning experience."
PlayShifu is revolutionizing the world of tomorrow by providing educational STEAM play experiences for the kids of today. As screen time continues to increase for children, the founders of PlayShifu - both parents - wanted to embrace technology as a part of their children's development and make screen time meaningful, not mindless. Shifu Orboot and Shifu Plugo, the brand's top flagships, retain more active users for longer average periods of time beyond their purchase date compared to similar products.
New products can be ordered on the PlayShifu website in 2020. Playshifu is the leading AR toy company offering a variety of immersive, educational toys that connect the physical and digital worlds. The play experiences are specially designed for kids ages 2 to 12 years and build foundational, STEAM skills through fun. Founded in 2016 by Dinesh Advani and Vivek Goyal after they saw a need to provide meaningful digital play experiences for their kids, PlayShifu is now loved around the world. With offices in the Bay Area and Bangalore, India, PlayShifu products are available in more than 15 countries.
PlayShifu has three flagship AR gaming experiences: Shifu Tacto (that turns any tablet into an interactive board game), Shifu Plugo (AR gaming system which builds STEAM skills through story-based challenges) and Shifu Orboot, that has ARbased planets to discover new eras, places, cultures and more. The brand's latest product line turns any tablet into an interactive board game through augmented interactions and tactile play. Shifu Tacto enables a live connection between figurines and a digital display, combining the skills of classic board games with animated content following each move a player makes. There are three different gaming sets to choose from, and each one comes with one playboard and one companion app. Gaming sets include: www.mommybabytimes.com
PlayShifu's newest flagship AR gaming experience, Shifu Tacto, turns any tablet into an interactive board game. PlayShifu is also launching three new gaming kits for Shifu Plugo and a whole new experience of its popular AR globe, Shifu Orboot, with two new planets to explore. n SOURCE: PlayShifu 67
Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES
Product Watch
Stokke launches Xplory Balance Stroller The newest product launch by Stokke has a number of evolved and modern features making this especially great for travelling. effect. The sunshade can be attached or detached according to the requirement which offers UPF 50+ sun protection and ventilation. The seat can be adjusted to rise higher or lower in position, and the stroller is incredibly narrow and maneuverable with swivel wheels with an effortless one-handed steering.
October 05, 2019
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tokke has introduced Xplory Balance stroller which is a premium limited edition and has a number of useful features. The stroller has a cocooning sunshade and the material of the ergonomic seat is very soft with a breathable inlay that creates a calming
It also comes with a matching changing bag having premium detailing which keeps all of baby´s things neatly organized for hassle-free outings. An optional carry cot and cozy foot muff are also available to add to the experience and the comfort of the baby. The textile used in the Xplory Balance stroller is made from recycled materials and are PFC-free water repellent, making your stroller harmonious with the environment. The stroller is available in two colours- soothing pink and tranquil blue while there are options available to select the colour of the chassis and the handle. This stroller can be used from birth and as babies should lie on a horizontal
surface as much as possible, to offer optimal support to the spine, the use of the carry cot is recommended until the baby is around 6 months. Started in Ålesund Norway in 1932, the company began its business trajectory as a manufacturer of high-quality furniture. The first product for children came in 1972 – the iconic Tripp Trapp chair, which has sold more than 10 million units and remains a core product in the Stokke collection. Since 2006 Stokke has focused particularly on designing premium children´s furniture and equipment within the highchair (furniture), stroller, baby carrier, home textiles and nursery segments. The company is owned and operated by three generations of the Stokke family until 2014, and Stokke was acquired by Belgium based NXMH, wholly owned by NXC in South Korea. It has a worldwide presence in over 80 countries across the globe, as well as has its own subsidiaries in Europe, USA, Asia and Russia. n
Magformers introduces Max Playground Construction Set The Max Construction Set is STEM-accredited and it can be build up in a variety of ways as the basic foundation of the brand is laid on the proposition of fostering and encouraging creative skills leading to cognitive intelligence in kids. October 16, 2019
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agformers has introduced the Max Construction Set which comes with an instruction booklet depicting 10 different ways in which the Max's playground can be build. One could follow along the www.mommybabytimes.com
instruction steps or build whatever playset a kid could conjure up in his imaginations as there are endless construction possibilities. The little one could build anything they can imagine when they use the Magformers Magnetic Rainbow shapes and Max character and accesso68
ries to create houses, towers, playgrounds and more. The set is build in rainbow colors with four triangles, twelve squares, one sector and accessories including four bricks, two windows, one swing, one slide, two clocks, one bathroom, one fence, one Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES
Product Watch With the basic premise that there is a strong connection between creative play and the cognitive and social development of a child's brain, Magformers brings a wide range of toys such as Magnets in motion, Educational, XL Cruisers, Basic Plus Sets, and so on. There are about 170 products in this brand (Magformers), besides than four other lines (Kidsme, DOLCE, Clicformers, Tileblox) adding up to around 500 items.
seesaw, one Max Character, one balcony and one bike. It is STEM accredited and it is ideal for brain development, critical thinking and education. The entire set is made from BPA Free HQABS Plastic.
Magformers is owned by a company called Gymworld Inc. based out of Seoul (South Korea) Magformers has been expanding while drawing attention as the most intelligent toy in the history of
global educational toys. The market reach of Magformers is quite extensive as it is available in about 60 countries worldwide. Based in Canton, Michigan; Magformers LLC is a privately held ďŹ rm which was founded in the year 2006. The construction toys brand has a patented, 'always attracting' magnetic technology that is designed to deliver a unique constructional play experience for the kids. The company has achieved plenty of awards and notable mentions such as the 2018 Toy Buzz Awards, 2018 Family Choice Awards, and numerous other honorable nominations in the educational toys category since the time of its inception. n
Sphero introduces Mini Activity Kit The Mini Activity Kit by Sphero is STEM-inspired which fosters the imaginative and learning skills in children
October 10, 2019
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phero has announced the release of the Mini Activity Kit that includes every prerequisite that kids need to get rolling, coding, and playing. This STEM-inspired kit comes with an exclusive clear Sphero Mini appenabled robotic ball, rubber cover, a 28piece construction set, 6 pins, 3 cones, and 15 Activity Cards with guided instruction for hours of play. The 15 STEM-inspired Activity Cards
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can be used to build mazes, design obstacle courses, construct towers, play croquet, and more. The Sphero Play Application can be downloaded to explore driving modes or use the robot as a controller for in-app mini games which test your skills as you dodge and destroy asteroids, race through a tunnel, or smash a polygon of bricks. Then the Sphero Edu app can enable you to dive into Draw, Blocks, and Text coding activities – or create your own programs and then share them with the world. The challenges and games in the kit help you to create your own fun and the possibilities to play with the kit are endless. The kit is very skillfully crafted to encourage creative thinking and STEM learning in kids. Known for its learning toys and robots, Sphero had recently acquired the New York-based littleBits which had invented the electronic building block. With that acquisition, the company 69
became one of the largest players in the educational toy market. littleBits is a New York-based education company which was founded in 2011 and it makes an open source library of modular electronics that snaps together with small magnets for prototyping and learning toys. This deal endowed Sphero with the control of littleBits' various patents ranging from robotics, to software, to the Internet of Things. Headquartered in Colorado and started in 2010, Sphero is an American robotics and toy company that creates high-tech robots which encourages learning through play as well as via the means of experiential STEAM learning. The company brings toys that are very different from the traditional toys or conventional play-items. These robots and its software allow creating everevolving experiences that ultimately changes the way kids play, learn and explore. n Nov-Dec, 2019
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Product Watch
LeapFrog Expands Infant and Preschool Collection with New Learning Toys California-based innovative toys and games brand has introduced a number of interactive products to its range that encourage essential skills such as vocabulary, numbers and more. light-up dome that changes colors and plays maraca sound effects. This musical toy includes three play modes that introduce colors, numbers and music. Little ones can add rattling sounds to the songs that play, count from 1-10 with every shake and press the six light-up buttons to hear color and instrument names.
September 17, 2019
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eapFrog Enterprises, Inc., a leader in innovative learning toys for children, is geared up to expand its range by introducing a number of products to its awardwinning infant, toddler and preschool range. The learning toys brand has added the Smart Sizzlin' BBQ Grill, Learn & Groove Dancing Panda and Learn & Groove Shakin' Colors Maracas to its range. "At LeapFrog, what we do best is combine learning with fun ways to play," said Andy Keimach, President, VTech Electronics North America, LeapFrog's parent company. "This year we're expanding on role play and musical toys packed with interactive content" The Smart Sizzlin' BBQ Grill features pretend temperature controls, a rotisserie and 16 play pieces to encourage pretend play. When food pieces are attached to the skewer, the grill will recognize each piece while introducing food and colors.
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Little grill masters can pretend to grill by securely placing eight different play food items on the interactive skewer. The skewer in the Smart Grill can be twisted to count along with the grill, and then turn the temperature dial from 1 to 10. The grill indicates if the heat is too high and asks to have the dial turned to a lower number. Learn & Groove Dancing Panda has the panda which can dance and groove and the LED screen on his guitar lights up with shapes, letters and numbers with four play modes. Press the musical instrument buttons on Panda's light-up shoes to hear a saxophone, trumpet, drum and guitar. Toggle the bridge switch to scroll through numbers 1-10 and letters A-Z, while the whammy-bar music button on Panda's guitar selects dozens of different tunes, including songs about numbers, shapes, colors, letters and musical instruments. Learn & Groove Shakin' Colors Maracas: One maraca includes colorful shaker beads and the other features a
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These three products are an addition to the interactive and learning 'Infant' and 'Preschool' collection. Started in 1994, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. is the leader in innovative learning toys for children that encourage a child's curiosity and love of learning throughout their early developmental journey. For more than 20 years, LeapFrog has helped children expand their knowledge and imagination through award-winning products that combine state-of-the-art educational expertise led by the LeapFrog Learning Team, innovative technology, and engaging play – turning playtime into quality time that helps children leap ahead. LeapFrog's proprietary learning tablets and ground-breaking developmental games, learn to read and write systems, interactive learning toys and more are designed to create personalized experiences that encourage, excite and build conďŹ dence in children. LeapFrog is a subsidiary of VTech Holdings Limited, which is based in Hong Kong. n Sourced via PR Newswire
Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES
Product Watch
Stokke introduces Clikk High Chair The high chair by the Norwegian brand is JPMA-certified and is made up of wood that is FSCapproved that differentiates wood products on the basis of responsible forest management.
October 17, 2019
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tokke has introduces Clikk High Chair to its collection of high chairs that are designed to ensure that the proper ergonomics of the child is maintained. This high chair is JPMA (Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association), FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and Intertek GS certified (which is a voluntary certification mark for technical equipment indicating that the equipment meets German and European safety requirements). So, with the introduction of the high chair, the Norwegian brand has expanded its High chair product segment which is one of its core categories.
The Clikk high chair is ergonomically designed and can be used from 6 months up to a child of three years. There is an adjustable footrest in the chair to ensure comfort at each age and it can allow three configurations for optimal seating at each age. The high chair is made up of FSC certified solid European beach wood and is easy to wipe clean. There are four different colours to choose from: cloud Grey, Coral, Green and White. This allows for a tool free assembly which is quick and simple. This is also really lightweight and is travel-friendly. The five-point harness can be removed easily for cleaning and is machine washable. The tray is also detachable and is dishwater-safe. There is an optional cushion that could be purchased as an accessory to provide comfort to the little one and the chair is available in four different colours: green, coral, white and grey. There are eight distinct product categories offered by the brand: Prams, High Chairs, Baby Carriers, Bath, Nursery, Car Seats, Travel and Accessories. Since
2006, Stokke has focused particularly on designing premium children´s furniture and equipment within the highchair (furniture), stroller, baby carrier, home textiles and nursery segments. In the 'High Chair' segment, apart from the recently launched Clikk high Chair, there are- Stokke Steps modular chair, and Tripp Trapp which offer comfortable seating that grows with the baby, ensuring proper ergonomics at every age. In fact, the first product for children came in 1972 was the iconic Tripp Trapp chair itself, which has sold more than 10 million units and remains a core product in the Stokke collection. The company is owned and operated by three generations of the Stokke family until 2014 when it got acquired by Belgium based NXMH that is wholly owned by NXC in South Korea. Headquartered in Ålesund Norway, the company began its business trajectory in 1932 as a manufacturer of high-quality furniture. It has a worldwide presence in over 80 countries across the globe, as well as has its own subsidiaries in Europe, USA, Asia and Russia. n
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Easywalker adds Harvey Premium stroller to its collection th
This year marks the 30 anniversary for the Dutch stroller brand which has presence in around 50 countries. October 31, 2019
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asywalker has introduced Harvey2 Premium stroller to its collection. The Harvey² Premium is suitable for infants and children up to four years old and can be used in various ways. It can also be www.mommybabytimes.com
converted into a duo stroller and can get compact when it is folded.
available in two colour palettes: Onyx Black and Sapphire Blue.
There are high quality fabrics and leatherette details as well as a premium rain cover and height-adjustable handlebar which are included with the Harvey2 Premium stroller. The stroller is
There can be different modes in which the stroller can be used as: with two seats, with a seat and a carrycot, with carrycot, with car seat, with worldfacing seat and with parent-facing seat.
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Product Watch The leg rest is adjustable and the big seat allows for four reclining positions also having a padded 5-point buckle system. The stroller is lightweight (10.8 kg) and very easy to use ensuring the most comfortable ride and is extendable for the second child. The carrycot is heightadjustable and the shopping basket is quite large and adjustable. The accessories such as foot muff, car seat adapters, height adapters, adapter set, winter inlay, sunshade and organizer can be bought separately as an accessory. Other products by the brand includes: Harvey2, Harvey2 All-Terrain, Charley, Buggy XS, Buggy+ and Accessories. Besides the range, there are also two
synergistic or collaborative products, i.e. Mini by Easywalker and Disney by Easywalker. The Harvey stroller which is also known as the signature stroller by Easywalker was launched in 2016. This year marks the 30th anniversary for the Dutch brand which enjoys its market presence in around 50 countries across the globe. Easywalker was founded in Amsterdam by René Floore in 1989 who had developed the first three-wheel stroller in Europe: the Easywalke r Classic. After introduction, the brand rapidly expanded from The Netherlands to the surrounding countries Belgium, Germany and France. There are around 50 countries the stroller brand is present in. n
Hamleys starts its store in Noida, Goa, Kanpur and Delhi in succession Having accomplished the milestone of owning more than 100 stores in India, Reliance-owned Hamleys is growing by leaps and bounds and is starting its stores in multiple cities on the trot.
November 25, 2019
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amleys has started its store in four different locations- Noida, Kanpur, Goa and Delhi. In Noida, Hamleys now owns a store at Gaur City Mall, and in Kanpur, there is a new store of Hamleys at ZSquare Mall, Downtown. While in Goa, there is the newly launched store at Mall de Goa, Alto Porvorim. Also, the latest store by Hamleys is now open at The Colonnade, www.mommybabytimes.com
Block B, Connaught Place in Delhi. It is the debut store of the toy retailer in Kanpur and Goa. The store launch was celebrated as a mega launch event with a meet and greet event with favourite characters of kids, such as Hamley & Hattie Bear and Chhota Bheem & Chutki.
largest toy store, Hamleys opened on Regent Street in 1881 during Queen Victoria's reign and sold all manner of puppets, pedal cars, and miniature railway train sets. It is the largest and the flagship store of the brand which has seven floors and spans 54,000 sq ft.
The first and the introductory Hamleys store for the entire South Asian region was started in Mumbai in 2010. The oldest and the largest toy shop in the world has the largest number of stores in India.
Reliance brands-owned Hamleys has presence in 36 cities in the country, with more than 100 stores in operation. The retailer had 50 stores till the end of 2018 and it has now crossed its double count in the country. In May 2019, it was confirmed that Reliance Retail, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited signed a definitive agreement to get 100% shares of Hamleys Global Holdings Limited. Founded 259 years ago, Hamleys is named after its founder William Hamley who founded a toy shop called Noah's Ark at No. 231 High Holborn, London. n
The leading global toys retailer Hamleys, which is now owned by Reliance Retail, has presence in close to 40 cities in the country. Hamleys is known for its immensely large assortment of toys, games, activities, leisure, and entertainment related products for kids. Officially the world's oldest and 72
Nov-Dec, 2019
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Toon Mart starts its 8 store in Kandivali, Mumbai The retailer is known for bringing a range of character-based merchandise products including toys, accessories, clothing and more. retail brand dedicated towards the Licensing Industry for the kids' category. There is a footprint of total 12 franchised stores across India. The company has been awarded with the Debutant Retailer of the Year 2018 award.
October 30, 2019
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oon Mart has started its 8th retail store in Mahavir Nagar, Kandivali in Mumbai. The store houses a wide range of character-based products and it has all the favourite toon characters including products such astoys, stationery, back to school products including apparels, accessories, home decor, and footwear. It is the fastest growing omni-channel
The retailing and merchandising segment is consistently growing in the Indian market, Toon Mart brings a retail platform by presenting all the available merchandise under one roof and present numerous choices to kids looking for their favourite character-based products. The product range covered at the retail store is: Accessories, Apparels, Home Décor, Everyday Items, Packaged Food Product, Back to School, Footwear, Toys, Birthday Theme Products, CD's & Games, and a range of Stationery items. The characters in which the range of products is available are: Angry Birds, Barbie, Batman, Ben 10, Hello Kitty, Disney Princess, Peppa Pig, Tom &
Jerry, Pokemon, Spiderman and Winnie the Pooh amongst several other characters to name. Toon Mart is owned by the parent company Sticker Bazaar and is headed by Vinod M Jain, Founder and Managing Director and Yatish D Jain, Co-founder and CEO. Sticker Bazaar is a manufacturing leader in the sticker, stationary and label industry which was incepted in the year 2006. Toon Mart store will offer a wide range of products based on characters including toys, back to school products, accessories, clothing and more. The products are affordably priced according to the Indian consumers' sensibilities. Toon Mart operates through both the retail as well as the franchise model. It houses the latest trends keeping in mind the Indian sensibilities and inspiring new character-based merchandised products. n
Toys “R” Us launches its store in Chandigarh, Pune and Thane There has been a significant build-up of the brand's presence in India in a short span. The global toys retailer has started its second store for Pune, its debut stores in the Chandigarh and Thane, respectively. city that is at Elante Mall, Industrial Area, Phase I in Chandigarh. While, it is the second store of Toys “R” Us for Pune in Seasons Mall, Hadapsar. January 04, 2020
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nown as the 'world's greatest toy store', Toys “R” Us has started its first store at Viviana Mall, Thane. The toy retailer has also started its debut store for Chandigarh www.mommybabytimes.com
The store launches were celebrated with its distinctive 'Geoffrey's Great Toy Party' and a number of recreationally amusing activities for kids. Also, there were a plethora of activities such as workshops, puppet show, and magic 73
shows organized for the amusement of kids. The official launch events held at the new stores were celebrated with the meet and greets was organized with the popular toon characters. The iconic toy retailer in India is operated by Tablez India and there are two formats in which the retail chain functions– Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us. Tablez Indiathe multi-brand organized retail arm of Nov-Dec, 2019
Mommy & Baby TIMES LuLu Group International, has also brought some of the leading global brands like Cold Stone, Toys “R” Us, Springfield, women'secret, Galito's & Bloomsbury's to the Indian market. Started in 1948, Toys“R”Us, Inc. is a
Trade Matters leading international toy, clothing, video game, and baby product retail brand. New Jersey, United States-headquartered brand having an extensive market presence around the world. In the 1980s, the company started to expand its reach in the international market with the
launch of its first international whollyowned store in Canada and then, its licensed operations in Singapore. Tru Kids, Inc. is a company that owns the rights of Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us brands in the USA and a couple of other nations. n
Beccos starts its stores in multiple locations in succession The Korean brand has started its store in Pune, Aurangabad and Nashik in Maharashtra and also in Rajkot, Gujarat and had started its first store for the country in Kamla Nagar, Delhi. In addition, there are more than 50 Beccos franchises outlets that are under development which would be launched by the end of 2019. Korea's designer lifestyle brand provides user-oriented, innovative and cost-effective products for daily life.
October 21, 2019
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eccos has started its four stores in Maharashtra in the cities- Pune, Aurangabad and Nashik. The Korean designer brand has also started its store in the smart city Rajkot after starting two stores in the month of August in Ahmedabad in Gujarat. The Korean retail chain is amping up its presence in the country with the launches of its multiple stores in different cities. It is enjoying a quick build up of the brand and is becoming a known name amongst the millennial generation who is always on the lookout for trendy and innovative products. In Pune, the Korean brand has started two stores on the trot- on 19th October at Phoenix Mall, Viman Nagar and on the very next day, i.e. on 20th October at 93 www.mommybabytimes.com
Avenue, Fatima Nagar. The store by the brand is also now open in the historic city of Aurangabad in Maharashtra, which a tourist hub, surrounded by many historical monuments including the Ajanta Caves and Ellora Caves. Another store in the state is also now started in the Nashik at City Centre Mall. Beccos has also started its store at Survarna Bindu Complex in Rajkot, shortly after starting its flagship store in the city of Ahmedabad. There are now four stores of the Korean brand in the state. There are now close to twenty stores of Beccos in India, out of which five stores are in the capital city- Delhi alone. The designer brand had announced its entry in the Indian market in October, 2018 74
The retail outlet is the one-stop destination for everything ranging from categories such as lifestyle, home & kitchen-ware, digital accessories, baby care to stationery, accessories, fitness & outdoors products, personal hygiene, seasonal products. The product's prices range in between Rs. 299-499 where the prices start at Rs. 29 at the lowest to begin from. From handbags to makeup brushes and from baby-bibs to umbrellas, the range is very extensive and has got you covered for various shopping needs. Its exclusive products are meticulously crafted and designed in South Korea by a team of expert designers. The retail company is headquartered in Hong Kong and it is represented in India by GPA Group. The merchandise range consists of products such as daily need household items, mobile accessories, cosmetics, fashion accessories, luggage, home décor, stationary and baby products made with the finest materials and available at affordable price points. n Nov-Dec, 2019