Retailers Association meets Aditya Thackeray

A delegation from Retailers Association of India (RAI) met Maharashtra's protocol minister Aditya Thackeray on opening malls and shopping centres in the state with strict COVID-19 safety guidelines and on allowing all stores to operate every day from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm.

The minister appreciated the association's concern and agreed on the need to restart retail in the state.

The retail sector employs more than over 46 million people and contributes to approx. 40% of India’s Consumption and 10% of the country’s GDP.

With most consumers demonstrating hesitation to resume shopping, the retail sector has been seeking the support of all stakeholders to revive customer sentiment. In these days where demand is inelastic, RAI has been requesting for longer hours and all days working to help reduce crowding at stores.

Kumar Rajagopalan, the CEO of Retailers Association of India, tweeted about the meeting saying "@AUThackeray Thank you for a very insightful meeting with members of @rai_india. We are confident that you will steer us towards wonderful retailing days in Maharashtra"

While retailers are amongst the most resilient entrepreneurs of the Indian ecosystem. Despite the lockdown relaxations, retailers are still facing a challenging time to revive their business. The impact on retail across the country is concerning and it will take a considerable amount of time for retailers to return to the green.