Amazon India spokesperson said Pune city has recorded 70 per cent YoY order surge for the home, kitchen, and outdoor categories during the festive season. “From all the orders placed in the last three months for EV two-wheelers, 25 per cent of them were from Pune customers,” claimed KN Srikanth, director, Amazon India.

Srikanth said, “Maharashtra plays a pivotal role, accounting for double-digit share of home, kitchen and outdoors category business. Around 50 per cent of Amazon’s customer base in Maharashtra comes from Tier-2 and higher cities and towns. Pune city has witnessed 70 per cent YoY order surge for our home, kitchen, and outdoor category during this festive season. With most Indians choosing to decorate, upgrade and redo their homes during this auspicious period, customers pan India will now get access to a wide selection of 1,000 colour shades of interior and exterior paints delivered with convenience at their doorsteps”.

Boult to expand in Maharashtra

Boult wearables has announced its expansion into offline retail markets across 13 states in India. This plan includes Maharashtra along with Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Kashmir, and Jammu. In the first phase, Boult will initiate the expansion with a robust network of over 2500+ offline stores and will target more in the second phase. On this occasion, Varun Gupta, co-founder of Boult, said that this expansion is a big step in our journey. Consumers can now easily walk into the stores where Boult is present to experience our products first-hand.”

Freyr Energy raises ₹58 cr in Series B round

Tech-enabled rooftop solar company Freyr Energy has secured an equity investment of ₹58 crores in Series B round led by EDFI ElectriFI, an EU-funded impact investment facility managed by EDFI Management Company which invested around ₹25 crore. Other investors who participated in the round are Schneider Electric Energy Asia Fund (SEEAA), Lotus Capital LLC, Maybright Ventures and VT Capital.

Rodrigo Madrazo, CEO of EDFI Management, said, “The solar market for the retail sector in India is highly fragmented and disorganised. In this context, we do see an opportunity to team up with Freyr Energy in bringing solar solutions combined with technology and consumer financing to allow retail customers to transition seamlessly to solar power and reduce their electricity bills.”

Kirloskar Oil Engines launches CPCB IV+ compliant gensets

Kirloskar Oil Engines launched its range of CPCB IV+ compliant Gensets which meet the latest emission norms set by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). These gensets are designed to cater to diverse power requirements across various sectors, ensuring businesses and communities have access to more reliable, cleaner, and better power. Kirloskar gensets are fuel-agnostic gensets which are engineered to operate efficiently on multiple fuel options, including diesel, natural gas, biogas etc. providing unmatched flexibility to consumers. Kirloskar aims to empower businesses and industries to choose the most suitable fuel source based on their needs, location, and availability.

Gauri Kirloskar, Managing Director said, “Kirloskar had launched IoT-enabled gensets with over 60,000 gensets deployed in the field. The data shows that 90 per cent of the gensets operate below the efficient load threshold for most of their running time. The new range of Optiprime gensets based on our patented hybrid technology helps expand the range of efficient load, leading to significant savings for our customers by significantly lowering the consumption of fuel and other consumables.”

International Baccalaureate introduces career-related programmes

International Baccalaureate has introduced career-related programme for Indian students to thrive personally and professionally, and advance their position in the global economy. Through the expansion of career-related programmes and other IB programmes throughout India, the IB aims to support young people and educators through rigorous curricula designed to provide students with the skills they need to be future-ready. Recognised by the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), the career-related programme offers an innovative blend of academic study and career-related skills that opens doors for all students to access economic prosperity. Enrolled students take a minimum of two IB Diploma Programme (DP) courses, a core consisting of four components and a career-related study.

Haif Bannayan, global director of Business Development, IB said, “IB has successfully launched the programme in schools across major cities in India, including Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad, Coimbatore, and many others. Over the next five years, the IB intends to expand into over 450 additional schools in India including the inception of 100 new CP schools to best serve and support students as the leaders of tomorrow.”

Cloudnine launches third centre at Pimple Saudagar

Cloudnine launched its third centre boutique women and childcare centre at Pimple Saudagar in Pune region after it started its operations in 2015. Currently, Cloudnine centres are present at SB Road and Kalyaninagar. The unit was inaugurated by Dr R Kishore Kumar, Founder & Executive Director along with senior doctors from Cloudnine specializing in the field of gynaecology, paediatrics and fertility.

Nitin Nag, chief operating officer, said, “Our expansion to the Pune market is in line with our commitment to increasing the network and making quality mother and childcare accessible across the country. All the facilities at Pimple Saudagar are now fully operational and we aim to densify our presence in the Pune market in the coming months by adding more centres. We are currently present in 12 cities and will continue to expand to newer geographies while strengthening our presence and increasing our services in existing cities and states.”