India’s government has drafted a proposal to ease foreign investment rules to allow e-commerce companies such as Amazon to buy products directly from Indian sellers and then sell them to overseas customers, a document showed.
Reuters
India prohibits foreign e-commerce companies from selling goods directly to consumers at home or abroad, allowing them only to operate a marketplace to connect buyers and sellers for a fee.
The policy has been a matter of dispute between New Delhi and Washington for years, and Amazon has lobbied the Indian government to ease the rules for exports, Reuters has reported.
The proposed changes coincide with efforts by India and the U.S. to overcome their differences over a long-delayed trade deal.
The proposals also rebuff the demand of groups backing millions of small Indian brick-and-mortar retailers that the government should dismiss Amazon’s request on the grounds the U.S. company’s financial strength is a threat to their businesses.
Less than 10% of small Indian businesses selling online domestically participate in global e-commerce exports, “constrained by complex documentation, compliance requirements,” said a 10-page proposal from The Directorate General of Foreign Trade, which is not public but was seen by Reuters on Thursday.
“The proposal envisages a third-party export facilitation model, wherein a dedicated export entity linked to e-commerce platforms would manage compliance.”
The directorate and Amazon did not respond to Reuters’ queries. The proposal will require a sign-off from India’s cabinet.
Reuters has reported Amazon said the move will help Indian exporters, but the Confederation of All India Traders, which represents millions of bricks-and-mortar retailers, opposed the proposal on Friday. It said it could be abused by foreign companies and give them more control over supply chains.
“It will create a slippery slope, making it nearly impossible to monitor whether goods are genuinely meant for exports or being diverted into the domestic market,” said B C Bhartia, the confederation’s national president.
The directorate’s draft said the relaxed rules would only apply to exports, and any breaches of the policy would attract stiff penalties along with criminal action. It has proposed implementing the model on a pilot basis, and scaling it up after a review.
Amazon said in December it helped to generate $13 billion in cumulative exports for sellers from India since 2015, and plans to increase that to $80 billion by 2030.
Last year, the Indian antitrust watchdog’s investigation found that Amazon breached competition laws by engaging in deep discounting and working with its preferred sellers, allegations Amazon denies.
Acne Studios has opened its first standalone store in Thailand, opting for the Asian nation’s capital, Bangkok, to make its debut.
Inside the new Acne Studios Bangkok store – Courtesy
Located inside the city’s Siam Paragon shopping mall, nestled in the Siam shopping district, the new Acne Studios Bangkok store was conceived by the Swedish luxury fashion brand’s creative director Jonny Johansson and Swedish architecture studio, Halleroed.
Washed in the Stockholm-based brand’s signature light pink hue, the new store’s facade features pink granite, which extends to the interior flooring and a series of monolithic pillars, with matte plaster walls.
The minimalist space is punctuated by furnishings and fixtures by longtime collaborators, including seating by British furniture designer MaxLamb, alongside geometric stainless steel, including a metal payment desk, and strip lighting by the French artist, Benoit Lalloz.
Inside the new Acne Studios Bangkok – Courtesy
“Together, this dialogue between materials, furnishings and lighting reaches what Johansson and Halleroed call an ‘unexpected harmony’ – a reflection of Acne Studios’ collections, which are rooted in ideas of juxtaposition, creativity and play,” said the brand in a press release.
Inside, local shoppers will find Acne Studios Fall/Winter 25 looks from the men’s and women’s collections alongside shoes and accessories, and the brand’s new Camero bag.
To celebrate the opening, a limited-edition Acne Studios Loves Bangkok T-shirt will be available alongside a series of early Trompe L’œil drops.
The new Bangkok store opening comes on the back of Acnes Studios’ opening in Aoyama, Tokyo, strengthening the firm’s presence across the Asia-Pacific region.
LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault said he was hoping he would be able to make another ten years when asked about his succession plans for the world’s biggest luxury group.
Reuterss
“Talk to me again in 10 years, I can give you a more precise answer,” Arnault, 76, told broadcaster CNBC in an interview, referring to his latest mandate extension, approved by shareholders earlier this year. “I hope … that I will make these 10 years,” he said.
Commenting on the role of his five children at the family-controlled luxury giant, Arnault gave little insight on who could take over the helm. “For getting responsibility, they have to merit the responsibility and to prove they can do it,” Arnault said.
Last month, Clarks announced it was opening its first ever Cloudsteppers store in the US… and it’s duly arrived, with the Corpus Christi, Texas, store marking the UK footwear-to-apparel retailer’s next chapter for its standalone lifestyle brand.
Cloudsteppers
It’s made its debut because UK-based Clarks says Cloudsteppers “has earned its reputation as America’s No.1 flip-flop brand for women, [citing Circana data], with over 25 million pairs of the iconic Breeze Sea sold globally”.
It’s all down to the “love for their signature ‘walk-on-air’ feel”, with Cloudsteppers products combining “lightweight comfort, dependable quality, and exceptional everyday value”.
It comes as a new 1,255 sq ft mall-based concept store with an immersive retail experience. The store’s choice of location, La Palmera, is “perfectly placed” in the beachside city “where laid-back comfort is part of everyday living”.
Designed as a “bright, welcoming space”, the store features Cloudsteppers’ first range of casual lifestyle essentials. With price points starting from $9.99, the range includes soft-touch T-shirts, hoodies, caps, bags and water bottles.
Previously focused on women’s styles, Cloudsteppers is also expanding into menswear. In the new year, it will stock a full men’s range – from sandals and sneakers to T-shirts, hoodies and more.
Peter Quirke, Clarks VP of Retail in the Americas, said: “Launching… as a standalone lifestyle concept is a major milestone for us. Cloudsteppers has really grown into its own in America.”