Experts stress on tapping retail sector

The budding corporate managers need to tap the huge potential offered by the retail sector which is the second largest employer in the country after agriculture and the retailers need to imbibe a work culture driven by productive performance.

These were the views expressed by experts at the National Seminar on Retail and Marketing, organized by the city-based Asian School of Business Management (ASBM).

Although the retail industry in India has jumped to a quantum of $350 billion dollar, only five per cent of the sector involves organized retailing and hence throws huge opportunity for employment among professional management students, said Kumar Rajagopalan, chief executive officer of Retail Association of India. “A significant move from traditional to modern retailing can be achieved by maintaining absolute transparency and ensuring inclusion of skilled employees”, he added.

Speaking on the occasion, Balakrushna Rath, chairman of Agriculture Promotion and Investment Corporation of Orissa Limited (APICOL) emphasized on the steps taken by the state government to promote agricultural retailing and marketing of the produce at the urban and sub-urban pockets.

Prakash Panda, general manager (human resources) of Pantaloon Retail India said that a productive performance driven work culture is the need of the hour and for achieving this, the retailers need to harp on rebuilding employee business and providing value for money for the customers.