The FUTURE of Indian Retail industry
It was about two years ago that I first got an insight into how the retail industry in India was going to change –it was a chance meeting set up by a common pal-and I was lucky to have spent some time with Mr John Idiculla Head HR of the German giant –METRO Cash n Carry. Strictly speaking, METRO in India is not into retail, as we know it-but in the ‘’wholesale’ business! And while my firm had in the past decade, worked on some occasional positions for Shoppers stop, Zodiac, and the kind, I quickly realized-that the future of retail in India-was to be different..and so the people required to run it- the roles, job descriptions ..everything had to be looked at –by first unlearning the way we learnt!
Also recall an advice by a very senior retail player- who gave me a tip –‘to understand retail, you must first read all the books on Sam Waltons as bible”!
I didn’t get past the second book..and by then, I had been grappling with a whole new jargon- and designations, roles, temparaments, …with the hiring plans being aggressive in India. Today, thanks to the internet,and media, one is privy to a lot of inputs-and so, it was indeed a pleasure to see an INDIAN book on retail. INDIAN case studies as they happened in the last decade..a book about the legend Mr Kishore Biyani-“IT HAPPENED IN INDIA”.
It is a fast reading –anecdotal in nature-lots of real life situations most of us in India can relate to!! The ethos, the brands, the tactics-all too familiar. It is simply inspiring to read- and dares one to dream-that we can change and create things. We can know how it is all unfolding..
So, in his words-whats the Future of Indian retail going to be ?
The Past The Future
Stability & ...