Retail Dude

“While nothing is certain in India’s future, we can be reasonably sure that consumption will grow rather than decline… Every rupee in the hands of the millions at the bottom of India’s consumption pyramid means another meal, another purchase, another incremental boost to growth – no matter how miniscule it may seem. That is what the retailers are counting on.”

Borrowed from The new book by John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte Ltd, India’s Store Wars: Retail Revolution and the Battle for the Next 500 Million Shoppers.

While I am in complete agreement with the words italicised in the opening para, I am not very sure if the last sentence in the same para holds water!

Take a look at the day’s “retail” headlines:

ADAG goes e-comming: http://thedailyretail.com/Retail_news/Indian_rn/article/index.php?article_name=24nov01&mailer=1

The Indian retail sector will feel the heat of the global financial crisis, though growth momentum may stay in some areas, experts feel: http://thedailyretail.com/Retail_news/Indian_rn/article/index.php?article_name=24nov00&mailer=1

There will be many more I am sure. Naturally. Obviously!

It’s never easy to shallow pride, more so when the bold headlines even 2 quarters back gave the unassuming junta a very different story.

Don’t tell me that the “experts” on boards of various “respectable” retail ventures never saw it coming! That they had no idea how the shamefully unorganised Mom & Pop across the country will unite and deal heavy blows and that they were completely oblivious of the Indian economy heading for a well-synced chaos, in tow with the world markets!

IF they were, it’s time they returned their high-value certificates to their supposedly unquestionable alma-maters! It may actually be a good idea for such institutes to start a buy-back scheme. They can take the papers back & return a percentage of the fees they had charged, after factoring in PBITDA and other mouthful management terms.

IF the certified guys were actually in the dark about the imminent future, in any case they’d need all the fund soon, to put brakes on their quick slide, from Blackberry Class to Fevicol Bus-back Class!

Worse, however, is IF, IF, IF they “knew” and still decided to have a party with stakeholders’ money!

In this case, the stakeholders should ideally use their gym-toned, trainer-adorned right feet to target specific anatomies of such managers and put out full-page colour ads with mugshots etc., to pre-warn future promoters. Yes, I do agree that the job market can hardly afford another such literally knee-jerk, kick-123 shock, but then, there will not be too many to go to press with.

By the way, too few “talent” hunters were / are willing to undertake ample due-diligence anyway! So, they can, safely put their fat packets in Fixed Deposits & live on the 10.5% interest rates, for a while.

Wishful thinking….even fantasies you may say!

I will agree, for once. Nothing will happen. Very few will ever take the pain of exploring “their illusive” BOP and promoters will only be too happy to woo such mavericks.

It’s the public’s money sweetheart!

Another Sting of that exotic Tequila anyone….? No…then let’s sing…Roxanne….!

http://www.lyrics-now.com/S/Sting-lyrics/The-Very-Best-Of-Sting-_AND_-The-Police/Roxanne.shtml

- Arnab

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