Career Wise - Careers by Choice - All about Retail Management in India

A career in Retail Management...............

All that you need to know about the Retail Industry to make an informed choice...........


Indian economy, with one of the handsome economic growth rate in the world, is also witnessing boom in India’s retail industry. Although the recent recession slowed down the growth for some time, it still has great prospects. To show the extent of its scope consider this – penetration of organized retail in US is more than 85% where as in India it is just about more than 8%.
The retail industry is focused on the sale of goods or merchandise from a specific location for direct consumption by the purchaser.
The Indian retail industry is divided into unorganized sector and the organized sector.


Unorganized sector typically consists of small grocery stores, more popularly known as kirana stores, hand cart vendors, street vendors, door-to-door direct sales vendors, bargain shops etc.


Organized sector consists of the retail shops which are registered, licensed (where applicable) and pay sales and income taxes. It also consists of big malls which provide a jubilant shopping experience with all the glitz and glamour.
Though in urban parts of the country, there are many retail shops and malls, a big chunk of contribution towards GDP from the entire retail industry still predominantly comes from the unorganized sector. Almost 93% of retail is manned by unorganized sector. Efforts are to bring the contribution to 9-10% by organized sector. The retail industry also happens to be the largest source of employment after agriculture.


The penetration of organized retail will happen much faster in the coming decade, even in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, because of the changing demographics of our population and a healthy rate of economic growth. With good underlying economic growth, increase in disposable income, increased awareness due to penetration of broadband and mobile devices with internet accessibility, the demand for consumer goods will rise. With better systems and processes in place, all this is bound to assist in increasing the penetration of the organized retail sector in India. According to report by McKinsey & Co., the organized retail market in India is expected to grow to 14-18% by 2015 of the total retail market in India from 8% in 2008. Its value is estimated to be around US$450 billion by 2015.


The BMI India Retail Report for the first quarter of 2011 forecasts that the total retail sales will grow to US$ 674.37 billion by 2014, from US$ 392.63 billion in 2011. The growing wealth with the middle-class in India, the population size and the big percentage of population being in 30s, makes immense possibilities for entrepreneurial growth in the retail sector. Some of the fastest growing segments of this industry are food & beverages, electronics and apparels. The consumer electronics segment is expected to grow at about 55% between 2011-2014, with most of the growth driven by demand for TVs, mobile devices and laptops and desktops. With changing lifestyles and habits, food segment is also expected to double to US$ 150 billion by 2025.

North America is the home of most of the world’s largest retailers, since the U.S. dominates the global retailing industry. Not only is the retail industry responsible for two-thirds of the U.S.’s GDP, U.S. retail companies have also established a presence on every continent. The largest retail giants globally are Wal-Mart (USA), Metro AG (Germany), Carrefour (France) and Tesco (UK).

The Retail industry employs a staggering number of people, and given its rapid proliferation, this number is always on the rise. The backbone of the sector are the operations and supply chain management jobs but there are various other options as well, from sales executives and store managers to merchandise planners and buyers.

Performance

In today’s dynamic and shaky business world, the retail industry is constantly upgrading itself. With an endless array of customer choices, fierce competitors, pervasive use of the internet, and a complex global economy, retailers need to focus on finding ways to sustain and grow their businesses. Traditional growth models that focused on rolling out more stores and adding more product lines, no longer enjoy the return on investment they once did. Successful retailers are those who are able to adapt and change to the environment and develop new ways of serving customers, respecting the dynamics of current trends and adapting accordingly.

The retail industry in India is hailed as a sunrise sector, and is estimated to double in value from US$ 330 billion in 2007 to $640 billion by 2015. In fact, India has topped AT Kearney's annual Global Retail Development Index (GRDI) for the third year in a row as the most attractive market for retail investment.

The bad news is, despite the fact that India has one of the largest number of retail outlets in the World, organized retail accounts for only 4% of the total market. This makes it especially difficult to apply sophisticated merchandising and sales tools, enhance consumer interaction and also, make very accurate analysis. That said, analysts believe the sector is likely to show significant growth of over 9 % p.a over the next 10 years and also see rapid development in organized retail formats, with the proportion likely to reach a more respectable 25% by 2018.

Growth Potential

The key growth areas include the urban, luxury segment on one end of the spectrum and serving the rural sector on the other. In addition, government policy encouraging FDI in the segment has resulted in a plethora of international retailers keen on entering the market; American retail giant Wal-Mart has tied-up with Bharti Enterprises and global coffee giant Starbucks' has tied up with PVR Limited. In addition, Carrefour, Boots and others are also expected to come in.

With so much action, it is natural that there is a huge scope for employment opportunities, and experts estimate that the sector will generate employment for ~ 2.5 million people in 2010. The top retail companies in India include the Raheja Group, Reliance Retail, Tata Trent, Future Group, RPG Retail, and Ebony Retail Holdings.

Future Prospects

There are many opportunities for those seeking to enter this sector, and entry level positions such as sales executives don’t even require a degree. Naturally, the higher order jobs for graduates with relevant degrees and work experience, involve more responsibility, challenges and remuneration. MBAs are increasingly being recruited, which marks a change of HR policy, from the traditional preference to hire those from the FMCG and hospitality sectors. In fact, senior executives in retail such as operations heads are extremely well looked after, and HR consultants believe they are paid in excess of Rs. 60 lakhs.

The good news for graduates is that since the sector is so young and vibrant, career growth happens very rapidly, and these positions are very achievable in a compressed time period. Successful candidates across all levels are those who are dynamic, able to multi-task and are equipped with great communication skills.

To be continued..................