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Textile sector stares at crisis
Krishna (name changed), a supervisor at a garment mall at Chikkadpalli, is a worried lot these days. Having an experience of over two years in garment sale, he may have to go back to his native place Khammam as his shop owner now is looking to reduce the number of salesmen.
Hyderabad: Krishna (name changed), a supervisor at a garment mall at Chikkadpalli, is a worried lot these days. Having an experience of over two years in garment sale, he may have to go back to his native place Khammam as his shop owner now is looking to reduce the number of salesmen.
This is not just an isolated case. More such people, who have migrated from neighbouring districts, may have to face job loss, thanks to the booming online garments trade.
Hit by the e-commerce penetration, a majority of textile traders especially the ready-made garment dealers are mulling to retrench the sales persons in a big way in order to reduce their establishment and other overheads.
“We are forced to reduce sales persons in the first place as we cannot reduce the rent or electricity charges, which are fixed in nature,” a manager of a retail-chain, who is not willing to be quoted, told this correspondent.
He further revealed that the local textile retail chain has already initiated retrenching sales persons (both boys and girls). The expected rate of fall in the sales jobs is in the order of about 50 to 60 per cent, he points out.
Confirming this and the troubles being faced by the textile trade because of online trading of item-cloths, the Hyderabad Cloth Merchants Association President, OP Tibrewala said, “The turnovers are falling over 50 per cent, which is not sufficient to support the kind of establishment costs now we are incurring.”
“We are ready to compete with the online traders in terms of prices, provided we get the fair opportunity,” he added when reminded him about lower and discounted prices being offered by the online traders.
Tibrewala vehemently seeks quick intervention by the state and central government agencies in order to provide relief to the retail traders to protect the interest of trade and other stakeholders including sales persons.
He points out, that the online trader need not spend on the premises or on displays, power, air conditions, besides sales people.
While the retail traders have to pay government and local body taxes, obtain trade license, and other statutory requirements such as transport permits etc, he adds.
A quick tour to retail trade hubs like general bazaar or Abids or begum bazaar in the city gives a fair picture that the footfalls have fallen over 50 per cent and more shoppers are taking ‘window shopping’.
A midlevel trader at Abids insists that the customers shall not take snap of the product, as he feels that the buyers like to compare with online photos and eventually buy online.
By:KVVV Charya
