The new pecking order

Bikini cricket, aka IPL T20, has thrown up a new lot of poster boys on the endorsement circuit, who are edging out the established sector.

First Innings

Yusuf Pathan
Rs 35 lakh

Shane Watson
Rs 15-50 lakh

Rohit Sharma
Rs 35 lakhs

M. S. Gony
Rs 25 lakh

Sohail Tanvir
Ts 15-30 lakh

Front foot

M. S. Dhoni
Earlier: RS 2.5 crore
Now: Rs 3-3.5 crore

Irfan Pathan
Earlier: Rs 50-60 lakh
Now: Rs 60-80 lakh

Second innings

Shane Warne
Earlier: Rs 45 lakh
Now: RS 80 lakh

Virender Sehwag
Earlier: Rs 1 crore
Now: Rs 70-80 lakh

Still at the crease

Sachin Tendulkar
Rs 3-5 crore

Yuvraj Singh
Rs 1.5 crore

Robin Uthappa
Rs 35 lakh

Ishant Sharma
Rs 40-50 lakh

 

Run out

Rahul Dravid
Earlier: Rs 3 crore
Now: No new deals

Sourav Ganguly
Earlier: Rs 3 crore
Now: No new deals

* Sehwag had been out of the endorsement circuit after he was dropped from Team India 2007.

All figures are industry estimates and stands for endoresement fees per brand per year.

Retail investment: Emerging opportunities

Vietnam tops the list as the most attractive emerging market destination in retail. India slides to second slot.

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Transformation is the watchword for retailers as economic turbulence continues in 2008. Despite the setbacks in the United States and Europe, GDP growth across India, China and Russia is still expected to top 8 per cent in 2008. This makes the retail opportunity in emerging economies more compelling (though less than 10 per cent of these markets as well-organised).

For global retailers, the message is clear: even when faced with tough economic conditions in their home markets, they can realise continued double-digit sales growth and profits in emerging markets. This kind of growth creates a powerful incentive for large retailers in developed countries. Pursuing expansion into new markets appears to be the best means to further diversify their customer and operation bases, and deliver continued growth and shareholder returns.