After staples, discretionary categories feel the pinch of slowdown

The downtrading trend is visible in the domestic motorcycle market too, where sales of cheaper brands have outpaced pricier ones

Riyaaz Amlani, chief executive officer (CEO) and managing director (MD), Impresario Entertainment & Hospitality, is a worried man. Business at his restaurants has slowed, he says, and growth has been flat in April. “This is the holiday season. Business should have been brisk. But we’re not seeing much action for the last one month,” he says.

Amlani isn’t the only CEO in the discretionary space to be echoing these views. Veterans such as Dilip Piramal, chairman, VIP Industries, are also on the same page. He says, “There is some disruption in the market due to the elections. People are not