Retail News Update

Seeking acquisitions and collaborations in Australia, IT giant Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a memorandum of understanding with TAFE, New South Wales to run some of the technical college’s courses in India.

S Ramadorai, global CEO and managing director of TCS, said the company would promote the TAFE courses in the country and also provide them in local languages.

TAFE NSW is the largest vocational education and training provider in Australia

“TCS and TAFE are working together on a detailed business plan,” he said.

The alliance would be a first for both parties, and comes after the Premier of Australia’s New South Wales state, Morris Iemma, visited India recently. Ramadorai said he and other senior executives had fruitful discussions with Iemma, who led a delegation of 70.
Ramadorai said the company was actively looking to acquire Companies in Australia that would improve its portfolio.
Work was also under way to develop an innovation lab in Sydney to showcase next-generation banking technologies, he told the Australian.

Ramadorai could not reveal investment figures but said the facility would be ready in six to nine months, starting with a core team of 10.

Apart from Sydney, TCS would launch an embedded systems facility in Tokyo in February and a Microsoft centre of excellence in Beijing in the second quarter of 2008, he said. TCS has 20 innovation labs around the globe. Solutions showcased at the labs are implemented by customers the world over. Australia’s largest retailer Woolworths has been a beneficiary.

“Smart Store is the name of the TCS Retail innovation lab in Chennai, India, where we provide demos of the various solutions for global retail customers,” Ramadorai said.

He could not provide specifics, citing a confidentiality agreement with Woolworths. TCS’s relationship with the local retailer goes beyond IT services.
Last year, parent company Tata Group formed a partnership with Woolworths to open 30 electronics superstores in India.
TCS senior management was in Sydney recently to meet customers and potential clients to espouse the virtues of innovation in business.