The Hindu Business Line : Tata Chemicals bullish on Okhai venture

Ahmedabad, July 4 Tata Chemicals Society for Rural Development targets sales of Rs 50 lakh from the first year of its retail venture Okhai, a women’s wear and home furnishings outlet of 350 sq ft. Tata Group started it as a handicrafts programme for women of Okhamandal village in Gujarat eight years ago. The women were trained at the National Institute of Design and their products exhibited across the country.

“We started it as a handicrafts programme but saw potential in it to create sustainable livelihoods for these women. We must have invested around Rs 50 lakh over the years in training the women in design, marketing and other aspects of the trade,” said Ms Alka Talwar, Head, Community Development, Tata Chemicals Ltd.

Last year, through exhibitions in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune and Ahmedabad, Okhai was able to sell Rs 24 lakh worth of material, she said.

“If quality and urban requirements are met, then Rs 2.5 crore is easily possible for Okhai,” she said. Around 450 women are involved in the project and earn an average income of anywhere between Rs 200- Rs 3,000 a month.

Ms Ramiben D Nangesh, one of the women involved in the project, said, “We function through the ‘milk route’ system, where perfect coordination is maintained between all the 450 women working from their homes. Only finishing, tailoring and quality testing is done at the Tata unit.”

The company plans to test market the outlet at Ahmedabad before rolling it out in other cities and it does not rule out involving women of other States in the programme.

“The scope of bringing in many more women into this is tremendous. But the brand will remain Okhai. We will market it through the shop itself and exhibitions at various places, including offices,” said Ms Talwar. The investment in the retail venture by the group will be need based, but the women look to making the brand sustainable on its own, she said.

The company is open to tie ups and is already associated with Sasha, a retail outlet at Kolkata selling the Okhai brand.

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