The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA), under the Commerce Ministry, is spearheading this expansion, with key distribution secured through Lulu Hypermarket in the Gulf. Trial shipments have also reached Western markets.

The global launch took place on 4th February 2025, with APEDA promoting the drink at the International Food & Drink Event (IFE) in London from 17th-19th March 2025, offering Indian exporters a gateway to global buyers.

Featuring a redesigned pop opener, Goli Pop Soda is turning heads in competitive markets. The Commerce Ministry views its success as a testament to India’s potential in the global food and beverage industry.

The post India’s Goli Soda goes global as ‘Goli Pop Soda’ appeared first on Business of Food.

The awards received numerous nominations, with brands competing across engaging rounds to be crowned the winner. Brands who won at the night included Reliance Retail’s Freshpik and Fresh Signature, Nature’s Basket, Wellness Forever, Lulu Hypermarket, among others. The participants were judged by an illustrious jury panel which included Ankur Shiv Bhandari, Managing Director (The Asbiverse Group), Pakhi Saxena, Business Director- Retail CPG (Wazir Advisors), Yogesh Samat, Executive Director (Grauer & Weil – India), Nandini Kelkar, Director Customer Research (Frost & Sullivan (MEASA)), Ashish Dhir, Executive Vice President – Consumer and Retail (1Lattice), Dr Prabodh S Halde, Chairman (Chamber for advancement of small and medium businesses), Harshita Gandhi, Founder & Principal Advisor (Fulcrum CPG Labs), Sonu Shah, Director, Customer Success Retail Vertical India (NielsenIQ), Sreyoshi Maitra, Consumer Insights Lead (Kantar), Saloni Nangia, President (Technopak), Viren Razdan, MD (Brand-nomics), Smita Bhatia, Business Consultant (Third Eyesight), Shardah Uniyal, Marketing Consultant (Lifestyle/Retail/Fashion), Sumit K Lal, Managing Director (Retail One Solutions and Services), Vasanth Kumar, Strategic coach (Mentor), Anuj Puri, Chairman & Country Head (Anarock), Amit Khanna, Partner & Leader, Front Office Transformation (PwC India), Ravi Wazir (STARTUP Mentor/ Growth Advisor /Leadership Coach/ Author), Prateek Mishra, Senior Director – Retail & Leisure Advisory (JLL) & Abhinav Joshi, Head of Research – India, Middle East and Africa (CBRE South Asia)

Sharing this thoughts on concluding a the immersive Day 1 of the India Food Forum, Nikhil Behl, CEO – Food Business, IMAGES Group, shared “What better way to end an ecstatic day than to honour the champions of our industry who have displayed utmost grit, passion and commitment towards challenging the norms and re-shaping the sector with their steadfast approach. Looking forward to witnessing the same vivacity on Day two.”

Winners List:

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED LAUNCH OF THE YEAR

Freshpik, 1 MG Mall, Bengaluru — For Flagship Store Launch

GoFresh, Chennai — For New Store Launch

Nasta Bazar, Shela, Ahmedabad — For Brand Debut

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED SPECIALITY RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Freshpik

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED RETAILER OF THE YEAR: MARKET EXPANSION

Reliance Fresh Signature

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED RETAILER OF THE YEAR: SINGLE STORE WITH HIGHEST YoY GROWTH

Lulu Hypermarket

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED RETAILER OF THE YEAR: INNOVATION IN OPERATIONAL AREAS

Nature’s Basket: Innovation in Employee Practices & Customer Experience

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED RETAILER OF THE YEAR: MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

Freshpik Outlet Launch with Srinidhi Shetty — For Celebrity Endorsement Campaign

LuLu Hypermarket: Multi Channel Marketing Strategies — For Mass Media Campaign

Nature’s Basket Artisan Pantry Launch — For Launch Campaign

Wellness Forever: Wellness Mahotsav 2024  — For Festival Sales Campaign

IMAGES Most Admired Category Leader of the Year

Bhavin Gada, Reliance Retail — for Confectionery

Noman Aziz Khan, LuLu Hypermarket — for Meat Fish & Livestock

Sushil K Singh, Reliance Retail — for Fresh Foods (Fruits & Vegetable )

Mandar Shinde, Reliance Retail — for Beverages

Mukesh Somra, Reliance Retail — for Processed Food & Savories

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED BRAND – RETAILER PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: SALES GROWTH

Conscious Food and Nature’s Basket

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED BRAND – RETAILER PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: MARKET EXPANSION

Nabati & Patel Retail

C10 IMAGES MOST ADMIRED BRAND – RETAILER PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: LAUNCH

Tata Soulful and Smart Point

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED BRAND – RETAILER PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: BRAND BUILDING

Godrej Genteel and More Retail

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED BRAND – RETAILER PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: PRODUCT INNOVATION

HyFun and Jio Mart

IMAGES MOST ADMIRED BRAND – RETAILER PARTNERSHIP OF THE YEAR: MERCHANDISE DIFFERENTIATION

Dabur Honey and Smart Bazaar

IMAGES EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Reliance Retail’s Green Initiative: Enhancing Farmer Income and Ensuring Food Safety 

Lulu Hypermarket’s CSR Initiative: Empowering Young Minds to Shape the Nation’s Future

The post Top Food Retail Brands Honoured at the 18th Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards  appeared first on Business of Food.

Nishad M.A., Director and CEO,  Lulu Group India, shared on his LinkedIn handle, “Celebrate the magnificent first anniversary of Lulu Hypermarket Coimbatore in grand style, graced by the legendary Superstar Sri. Rajinikanth through his exclusive video wishes! His iconic presence adds a touch of stardom to our momentous occasion. Sri. Rajinikanth, an esteemed figure in the hearts of millions, extends his heartfelt congratulations to Lulu Hypermarket Coimbatore, recognizing its remarkable journey and commitment to serving the community. As we mark this milestone, his video message sparks joy and excitement, elevating the festivities to new heights.”

He further added, “The Superstar’s words of encouragement inspire us to continue our pursuit of excellence, offering an unparalleled shopping experience to our valued patrons.”

Established in the early nineties, Lulu Hypermarket is the fastest-growing retail chain in the Middle East and Asia. The group operates 13 malls in the GCC and 5 malls in India. Their vision is to be a global retail brand by retaining their No.1 position in the organized retail sector in the regions they operate. The brand’s mission is to provide a unique shopping experience to customers with unmatched quality in terms of products and services, while continuously exploring new market opportunities and adding value to their business associates.

The post Lulu Hypermarket celebrates its first anniversary in Coimbatore appeared first on Business of Food.

The awards ceremony spotlighted the significant milestones achieved by the sector through collaborative yet distinctive initiatives aimed at enhancing competencies when servicing customers. The evening acknowledged excellence of brands  in numerous dimensions ranging from marketing and promotions to employee practices.

Sharing his thoughts on the 16th Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards, Nikhil Behl, CEO — Food Business, IMAGES Group, shared “Indian retail and FMCG industry retailers are taking note of this shifting consumer landscape. The achievements of the evening stands as a testament to the collective drive of the industry towards further upliftment of operations and establishment of a  sector which reflects the elements of  trust, determination and adaptability.”

Winners List:

Nature’s Basket won big at the ceremony taking home 5 awards across categories while Reliance Retail too bagged big at the 16th Coca-Cola Golden Spoon Awards.

IMAGES Most Admired Store Launch Of The Year – QMart Convenio (Debut), Nature’s Basket (flagship store launch)  & Nature’s Basket (new store launch –  Defence Colony, New Delhi)

IMAGES Most Admired Retailer Of The Year (Innovation & Merchandising) – Honey Smart Cart

IMAGES Most Admired Retailer Of The Year (Market Expansion) – Fresh Signature

IMAGES Most Admired Retailer Of The Year (Marketing & Promotions) – Nature’s Basket #TastetheWorld

IMAGES Most Admired Retailer Of The Year (ESG Initiatives) – Lulu Hypermarket for CSR Initiatives &  Truly desi for Green Initiatives

IMAGES Most Admired Retailer Of The Year (Single Store with highest YoY growth) – Freshpik, Jio World Drive, Mumbai 

IMAGES Most Admired Retailer Of The Year (Customer experience/Service/Acquisition) – Nuts N Spices

IMAGES Most Admired Turnaround Success Story Of The Year – MagSon Gujarat

IMAGES Most Admired Category Performer Of The Year:

1. Prasoon Bharadwaj, Reliance Retail for Staples
2. Zubin B. Nowrojee, Reliance Retail for Processed Foods and Savouries
3. Hemant Mecwan, Reliance Retail for Beverages & Confectionery
4. Suresh Kolama, Nature’s Basket for Fresh Foods
5. Mrinal Kumar, More Retail for Dairy
6. Tanaya Mehta, Nature’s Basket for International Food

IMAGES Most Admired Convenience Store of The Year – The New Shop

IMAGES Most Admired Gourmet Retailer Of The Year – Nature’s Basket

IMAGES Most Admired Regional Supermarket Of The Year (South) – Ratnadeep 

IMAGES Most Admired Regional Supermarket Of The Year (East) – Arambagh’s Foodmart

IMAGES Most Admired Regional Supermarket Of The Year (West) – Sahakari Bhandar

IMAGES Most Admired Regional Supermarket Of The Year (North) – Le Marche

IMAGES Most Admired Supermarket Chain Of The Year – Fresh Signature

IMAGES Most Admired Big Box Retailer Of The Year – Smart Bazaar

IMAGES Most Admired Brand Retailer Partnership Of The Year (Market Expansion & Sales Growth)

1. Daawat & Smart Bazaar
2. Nabati & More Retail

IMAGES Most Admired Brand Retailer Partnership Of The Year (Brand Building) – Women’s Horlicks & Apollo Pharmacy

IMAGES Most Admired Brand Retailer Partnership Of The Year (Retail Promotions) – More Retail & Genteel

IMAGES Most Admired Brand Retailer Partnership Of The Year (Merchandise Differentiation) – Aashirvaad Ready To Cook Chapati & Jio Mart

IMAGES Most Admired Brand Retailer Partnership Of The Year (Launch) – Dabur Hommade Chutney & Smart Point

IMAGES Excellence Award – Spencer’s Retail for Quick Commerce Execution & Cinepolis for concession counter execution

IMAGES Spice Icon Awards:

1. Spice Icon of the Year –  Adesh Kumar, National Category Head –  Spices, Reliance Retail
2. Customer Service Excellence – Raja M, National Category Head – Branded Staples, Big Basket
3. Trade Excellence Award — Gunjot Singh Kochar, Associate Director- Grocery B2C, Flipkart
4. B2B Excellence – Rajiv Triptathi, Category Head – Spices, Metro Retail
5. Modern Trade Partnership — Khathing Luiram, Dy General Manager, Buying & Merchandising, and Saurabh Bansal, Chief Merchandising Officer, Spencer’s Retail
6. Quick Commerce Excellence — Anish Srivastava, SVP-Blinkit
7.  Emerging Business Excellence — Saurabh Maheshwari, Senior Vice President, Zepto
8. Category Dressing Excellence Award — Adesh Kumar, National Category Head –  Spices, Reliance Retail

 OTIF Excellence — Amit Gautam, National Category Head- Spices – Vishal Mega Mart

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