The Hindu Business Line : Retail gains

The agitation and protest against the entry of organised retail into the Indian market is biased and baseless. One should look at this matter economically and globally. The benefits the retail sector is bringing in are innumerable. First, it restrains brokers and intermediaries from playing havoc with the farmers’ profits. Corporate retail directly procures the produce from the farmers. As a result, the latter get better returns for hard-earned produce.

Second, retailers pass the savings (earned from direct procurement) on to the customers by selling products with good quality at attractive prices. So, their main focus is on the customer satisfaction.

Further, the protest against the entry of private retail giant WalMart seems unfair. In this globalisation era, such retail entry should be welcome. As such, any attempt to disrupt retail operations should be seen as a law and order issue.

The protesting traders and shopkeepers should focus on customer-centric services. Let them compete on this important indicator — customer satisfaction. Let there be healthy competition.

Senthil S. Durai, Vazhavallan