INDIA IS THE NEW PROMISED RETAIL LAND

Cocoberry's frozen yogurt and fresh fruit toppings are like Pinkberry's.

Retailers are flocking to India because of the growing economy and an insatiable youth population eager for brand name goods.

For some Western brands this great fortune is not all roses. Timberland, the infamous hiking gear company with the tree logo, has a competitor called Woodland in India. Their goods are very similar to Timberland and also have a similar tree logo.

Pinkberry, the frozen yogurt chain in the US has been imitated by Cocoberry and The Financial Times is in a legal battle with Bennett, Coleman & Company, owners of India’s largest English-language newspaper.

The US has been fighting intellectual property rights with China, where counterfeiters knockoff just about everything. But as brands look to India as an opportunity for growth they are stymied by the industriousness and copy-cat nature of India capitalists.

The commerce secretary told Indian executives visiting Washington that “U.S. businesses need assurances that when they come to India, they’ll be operating in a secure and reliable environment for intellectual property.”

India will be the best market in the world for retail sales growth this year, A. T. Kearney said. India’s “growing, educated and aspiring middle class is demanding a better retail environment and more global brands and styles,” the consulting group said.

Wal-Mart, Carrefour and Tesco are opening wholesale stores that will sell to restaurants and owners of small shops. Dozens of foreign brands that have not already entered the Indian market are searching for domestic joint venture partners, which they need before opening a store here.

“Some imitators are so loosely based on the original that they may not be considered a threat - like the 6Ten convenience stores. With their yellow and blue signs and piles of loose grains for sale rather than Slurpees, they are unlikely to be seen as competition to 7-Eleven.”

“And sometimes, the imitation is less about the brand than about what it represents. Across India, a number of scooter and motorcycle drivers sport the familiar Marlboro cigarette logo of a red and white chevron on their helmets. On closer inspection, those logos say “Marlborne” or “Melbourne.”

The article can be found at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/business/global/16brands.html