Retailing in Mumbai
I was reading this article in Economist on Retailing in India.
WHY are Indians better at cricket than at soccer? asks Dilip Modi, boss of Spice Communications, an Indian mobile-telephony firm. Because, he jokes, every time you award an Indian a corner, he opens a shop
I couldn’t agree more you’ll find a small baniya ki dukan [corner store] at the end of every street The above picture is a classical example of one such super-local store. They are overstocked and supply you everything from soaps to disprin.
Interesting example. Because there are no jobs people have to think of something or the other. Grocery shop isn’t such a bad idea coz when it expands it provides employment to others as well. It is precisely this that is missing here in North America, because of big retailers like Walmart and we should all be opposing walmart’s entry to India.
Selwyn – Personelly I don’t think Walmart can beat the small style unorganised retail in India. It would be too dificult even for walmart to do so.
Akshay as much as i would like to think you are correct in your comment, I have my doubts.
Walmart sources things from China, and we all know what this means.
It will be interesting to see how the worlds largest retailer plays with the worlds largest democracy and one of the largest retail bases
Arzan,
I totally agree.
Selwyn,
Didnt quiet understand you comment about street side grocery shops creating jobs?!
In effect, you are suggesting that Walmarts entry into India will NOT create jobs??!! Which ofcourse is not true.
Akshay, it will take time for total demise of street side shops, I bet they will be significantly reduced in the next 10 years if not less. I am guessing this would be due to reasons of storage, quality, availability and variety of choice which Tesco,Walmarts and other biggies can offer but Baniya cant!