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Chemical brothers

There is a rumble in the life sciences division of the Chatterjee Group. ET learns that a major restructuring and consolidation is on at the Kolkata-based entity, which is now planning to go under just one name, Chem Biotic. After all, that was the initial name of the company when it started ops in 2000. As the years rolled by, three subsidiaries were carved out — ClinInvent, LabVantage and PCGA. However, since Chem Biotic contributes 80% of the business in the life sciences division, the $2-billion Purnendu Chatterjee Group has decided to put all its eggs in the Chem Biotic brand basket.

Title sponsors

After securing the ground and title naming rights of all international cricket matches to be played in India till 2010 from BCCI, the Rs 173-crore Singapore-based sports marketing firm World Sport Group (WSG) is looking to sign on three advertisers to make good its investment. Sources in the industry indicate that one of the likely advertisers to get on board would be Idea Cellular, which lost out in ICC’s just awarded eight-year global sponsor rights to Reliance Communications and PepsiCo. WSG is expected to close the deals within a month.

New wardrobe

Word is that Hemchandra Javeri, Madura Garments president is leaving the Aditya Birla Group after a three-and-half-year stint. Madura Garments is a division of Aditya Birla Nuvo. There is buzz that he may be headed towards rival Arvind Mills. It may be recalled that recently Darshan Mehta, head of Arvind Brands, quit to head Kishore Biyani-led Future Group’s international brands retailing. Mr Javeri was head of Nike in India prior to joining Madura Garments in January 2004.

High stakes

Globus Spirits, a Delhi-based IMFL and industrial alcohol company, will foray into the deluxe whisky category soon. ET learns that the Rs 118-crore company also plans to raise funds for brand-building through an IPO. The company is present in the regular whisky segment with the Samurai Gold brand. The other brands in its portfolio are Hannibal Legendary Rum and White Lace Gin. To capture the markets abroad, a company has been formed in the UK by the name of Globus Spirits UK to focus on technology sourcing and knowhow development. The company expects a turnover of Rs 200 crore by the year-end.

New smoke

Godfrey Phillips India (GPI) is expecting to make a buzz in the Rs 20-crore Indian cigar market by bringing in Villiger cigars through an exclusive tie-up with the Swiss brand. The cigars will be priced between Rs 15-Rs 120. Besides Villiger, the Rs 1,495-crore GPI retails Altadis, Don Diego, Phillies and Davidoff cigars in India. Distributing the whole range of Villiger cigars through 1,000 hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants in more than 55 cities, GPI believes it will touch 10-million unit sales per year of cigars by the year-end from the current 4-million units annually.

(What’s Hot is essentially heard-on-the-beat gossip on brands, marketing and advertising. If you have any news or gossip to share, or would like to make any comments or suggestions on this column, please write to us at bobwh@indiatimes.com)