DTH Services in India - Tata Sky Reviews

Very recently I have subscribed to Tata Sky DTH services. Set-top box got is for HD quality. It is working correctly. Picture quality is almost all the time good. and sound quality is also good.

After using DTH (Satellite TV) services for few days, I saw one common problem that is visible everywhere. and that problem is Advertisement problem. Marketing manager want to feed as much advertisement as they can! I am watching TV at home and I have paid for the service but still they are pushing advertisement aggressively. Whenever I switch on the TV, I see ad. It can be regarding TATA's own channel (Active channels) or other promos. Hungama Channels are advertising there days through Tata Sky. Instead it should display the channel I was watching before switching off the TV!

Few other things I want Tata Sky to consider are:

• Sound became louder than it was originally. It should be left as TV settings. Or this just become better in clarity and I should lower the volume! Need to check clearly.
• When I browse channels I can see one channels at a time. It should show 10-15 channels at a time so that I can choose it easily and sooner than going through each channels in long list of channels. 
• While browsing channels, they show TataSky logo in big. While watching the channels (any) they also show Tata Sky logo in big. Why they do these thing. I have already purchased this satellite channel and I am using this service at home, who else is going to see the Tata Sky logo and who will get affected by it! Instead it should show channels name in big font while browsing the channels list, so that I can see the channels name easily from long distance and even when I am not at 90 degree of the screen. 
• After switching on the TV, it should show me the last channels I was watching. and not its own advertisement. 
• Over all there are lots of improvement required in interface for easy navigability. It just say channels not in your plan than showing all channels in my list and telling that this channels is not in you plan. It may happen that this problem will  go away after my free time will end. but chance are less as those channels I cannot watch they are telling that you cannot watch because you are put into this and that package. If they remove all the channels which I cannot watch then I can fast browse channels. They should put all unsubscribed channels in different list so that when I miss something then I can look into that list and subscribe. 
• They must keep in mind the consumer right for their the service they provide.  

This list is not a comparison list among different satellite channels provider. There can be high possibility that other DTH service providers are giving worse service or good service. I have not checked other satellite service provider. Overall Tata Sky has good reputation in Bangalore as I felt after listening few.


Needless Tata Sky big logo and normal size font in big screen, difficult to see from long distance: (picture taken from short distance)

Right Time to Invest in Market

It is really a right time to invest in market. New government has come and recession will also go away. Expert view on Indian economy is that Indian economic condition will not go further down due to recession. So, overall you can hope for good in Index. So, why not make some money.

Index market go up and down every day. So, just let this euphoria go and settle down a little. When on a single day you think, it is good floor price then you can buy some shares.
Or
Investing in mutual funds can be an easy option. Finding good mutual fund cannot be so difficult when you know that market will go very high from now onward in new future!

Mall Mania is Down in Economy Slowdown in India

Malls are quoting lower rentals to woo retailers. With this rising inflations, retailer are watching their steps. In spite of lack of quality space in top eight cities in India, malls are witnessing around 18% vacancy across the 40mn sq ft of operational malls. Rentals are said to have slumped by 25%-30% over the past four months. In Bangalore, rentals are predicted fall by another 30% over the next eight months.

Malls owners are now looking to throw in freebies like complimentary maintenance and complimentary back-up power. Partnering with retailers is also in offer. Malls owners are offering revenue sharing.

A retailer explains three factors we take into account – power, salary and rentals. If the rent is more than Rs 100 per sq ft per month, the retailer needs to generate Rs 20 per sq ft per day.

Twenty Rapidly Developing Cities in India

Recent report by National council of Applied Economic Research and the Future Group’s wing Future Capital Research throw light on the most developing cities and evolving cities in India.

20 cities are discussed and their importance in Indian market development. It will fuel growth of India regardless of economic slowdown.

379 million more people will be added to these major Indian cities. It will be more than the current population of the US. So these cities will create big demand for consumer good and services. Currently 30% population is urban. By 2016 more than 45% will be urban Indian population.

Cities are divided in three categories: Mega cities, boom cities and niche cities.
Mega cities are populous cities: Four metros Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore, Hydrabad, Ahmedabad and Pune.
Towns in boom cities category are Surat, Kanpur, Jaipur, Lucknow, Nagpur, Bhopal and Coimbatore. These are seven in number. These towns are registering fastest economic growth.
The niche cities five in number are Faridabad, Amritsar, Ludhiana, Chandigarh and Jalandhar.

Developing India will have more than half of its households in middle-class (annual income $6000/~Rs 2,40000 – $30000/~Rs 12, 00000) category by 2016.

These 20 cities will develop at the rate of more than 10 percent and other cities will develop at 7.9 percent from 2008 to 2016. Twenty mentioned cities already account for 60% of the surplus income. Very good point is by 2016; only 7% households will be in low-income ($3000).

Within these twenty cites, annual household income varies widely. When annual household income (AHI) is adjusted to city’s cost of living, Surat emerged as country’s most prosperous city (4.58 lakh). Adjusted AHI of 4.23 lakh for Chandigarh, Chandigarh is second in the most prosperous city.

With this rapid urbanization, township planning and security will be challenging tasks for government.

Update: Patna is now 5th fastest growing city in India and 21st fastest growing city in the world. In June 2009,The World Bank ranked Patna as the second-best city in India to start a business, after Delhi. Source: Wikipedia

Recent news on rapidly growing cities:
Bangalore, Chennai, and Ahmadabad are the top in fastest growing cities in India.

Dollar Going Up- Benefits And Loss

Dollar has gone up from 39.xx to 43.xx currently. FII (Foreign Institutional Investor) is pulling their money from Indian market. In 6 months they have pulled out more than six billion dollar. It is the biggest outflow since 1993. In 1993 Foreign Institutional Investor was allowed to put money into Indian market. In 2007, FII invested more than $ 20 billion in equity and debt.
The stronger dollar is good for exporter. It is bad for importer or who consumes imported products. Industries who depend on imported products heavily for raw material will face higher input costs.
Currently government has extra worries with the weakening rupee. Weaker rupee mean govt. has to give more rupee for each dollar for oil purchase and whatever Oil companies get relief from June price hike in petroleum product will be wiped out.

Crude Oil Price and Inflation in India

Two topics in news paper are making much news and taking large space in news papers these days. It becomes a masala for the next general election. These both have the potential for affecting the result of the next Lok Sabha Election.

Both, Oil Price and Inflation, directly hit the common man. With such a huge price hike in petrol even well off man is going to hit with this sharp price rise in crude price. BJP may be thinking it also got something using which Congress won the election. Congress hyped about the progress of India card used by the BJP not helping the poor and village people. Now with this much inflation due to crude price and the bad state of the world's economy Indian economy is also facing the heat and BJP is going to gain from this situation.

Mortgage Guarantee Company for Home Loan Lending Company

RBI has announced to set up Mortgage Guarantee Company (MGC). This Mortgage Guarantee Company will provide home loan lending institution against any default in home loan. MGC will take some charges for providing this cushion from the landing institution.

A home loan lending company will get security against default of its customers after paying some price to Mortgage Guarantee Company. This will reduce the interest rates in home loans.

Currently one percent of the home loans customers defaults. For those good customers pay the price. Home loan lending company adds the cost due to defaults by customers, to the cost of funds in the very first place, and increase the lending rates to recover that cost.

MGC will help reduce the fraud in housing sector. According to RBI (Reserve Bank of India) guidelines, the mortgage guarantee will be given through a tri-partite contract among the borrower; the creditor institution and the mortgage guarantee institution. RBI has told this MGC can come into effect with immediate effect. So MGC will register with RBI and start working with lending banks. So, with setting up of this company, I expect bank will not send goons to their customer’s home for recovery.

Banks can't employ goons for recovery: SC | Bank sent goons to recover my car

Reliance corrected Reliance Fresh plan due to political and social reason

Reliance realized some problem in their plan for Reliance Fresh growth. They understand they are earning less than they are losing brand name (Retail) in India due to Reliance Fresh. They are thought of as anti-people due to politics in vegetable retailing. So they are now shifting their focus in plan. Tata also faced this kind of problem when they promised Rs. 100000 car. They faced problem due to land acquisition for SEZ (Special Economic Zone) in West Bengal. But they cannot shift their factory.

Reliance Fresh will position as a pure super market focusing on nine categories including food, FMCG, home, consumer durables, IT, wellness and auto accessories, with food accounting for the bulk of the business.
“The company underestimated the might of the middlemen and the small vegetable vendors in the current political scenario,’’ said a source. “Also, the strategy to constantly talk about low prices was not such a great idea after all,’’ the source added.

Source: IndiaTimes

Trent, a TATA brand, to bring Sisley brand to India

The reclusive CEO of the Tata group's retail arm Noel Tata finally chose to speak exclusively to NDTV after his company sealed a distribution and retailing tie up with Italy's Benetton group for their fashion brand Sisley.

Trent is planning 20-30 Sisley stores in five years and expects a revenue of Rs 100 crore from Sisley stores. For Benetton the tie up could not have come at a better time, after all India is its fastest growing market.

"India is a huge opportunity and we are expecting $55 million business from here, we are expecting 60 per cent growth in 2007 itself," said Alessandro Benetton, Executive Vice Chairman, Benetton.

When asked if Trent was slow in expansion plans while others are leapfrogging, Noel Tata was candid saying that the high real estate prices will slow down others as well.

"I admit we are slower but that is the way we want grow maintaining our quality, we are looking to triple our stores in next 3 to 5 years. Going forward real estate will be huge issue, I see it going worse in the future with the rentals soaring further," Noel Tata said.

No umbrella brand

But is there a scope for Tatas to bring their various retail operations like Croma and Trent that house Westside, Star bazaar & landmark under one umbrella to capitalise on synergies.

"The group companies have their own growth plans and there is no need for that yet, Croma, Titan, Tanishq and Trent are all growing on different platforms and will remain that way," Noel Tata said.

Noel Tata may be slow with his retail expansion but he clearly has an action plan in place, he knows venturing into fashion and premium segment will bring him better margins than mass retailing and that is exactly why tie ups with Benetton is on his priority list.

City Classification for Retailers

I have found very good classification about the cities in India for retailers. This report will help you know about the people discretionary income and disposable income in Indian cities in classified ways.
Cities where BPO and ITES spread more will normally have more discretionary income. Fifty cities are taken into consideration as these cities have more than 1 million populations. Fifty cities with more than one million people are classified into these five categories: maturing cities, transitional cities, highgrowth cities, emerging cities, and nascent cities.

Here is a look at what these classifications connote for buyers, retailers, and mall developers.

Maturing cities
The two members in this category include, the national capital region of Delhi and Mumbai. Together, these two markets account for 50% of India's organised retailing. By 2008, they are expected to still account for 40% of organised retailing.

According to the JLLM report, growing supply could result in saturation in some pockets of these two markets. Nonetheless, they still offer opportunities to mall developers. One, there is opportunity to develop large one-stop malls that combine retail, entertainment, eating and hotels or service apartments. Two, there are opportunities for developing malls that house only luxury brands.

Most luxury brands today operate out of five-star hotels and are on the lookout for space in malls that offer them the appropriate ambience. Three, there is opportunity for developing malls that house hypermarkets. Four, there are opportunities for developing neighbourhood malls. At present, most of the malls are situated in very distant localities and are not accessible to a lot of people. And finally, there will be opportunities for developing malls in the suburbs, where income levels have gone up because many IT/ITES companies have set up base there.

Transitional cities
These include Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune, Chennai and Ahmedabad. While the organised retail segment is much smaller in these cities compared to Delhi and Mumbai, they are firmly on the radar screens of retailers and developers because of their large and growing middle class. By 2008, the six markets are expected to account for one-third of India's organised retailing.

Retailers are attracted to them because of their vibrant corporate sectors, high economic growth rate, and large middle-class population. Moreover, land and construction costs are much lower here than in Delhi and Mumbai.

As with the maturing cities here too the opportunity lies in developing large one-stop malls, speciality malls, neighbourhood malls and hypermarkets.

High-growth cities
This category includes Chandigarh, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Lucknow, Kochi, Surat, and Vadodara. Retailers perceive these cities as the next retail destinations. High income levels and a high level of brand awareness are factors that attract retailers to these destinations.

In this category, Ludhiana in Punjab has emerged as the favourite of both retailers and mall developers. Income in these cities are well above the national average and awareness of international brands is high because of the presence of a sizable NRI population.

Most high-growth cities are located in North India, with the exception of Kochi, which has in recent times emerged as the favored destination of the IT-ITES sector.

Emerging cities
This group consists of 16 cities that are likely to emerge as the growth markets over the next three years. These cities include Amritsar, Indore, Jalandhar, Mangalore , Nasik, Bhubaneshwar, Agra, Vizag, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Kanpur, Goa, Allahabad, Mysore, Jamshedpur, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Rising incomes and hence aspiration levels, scarcity of branded stores and growing corporate activity are some of the factors driving the demand for organised retailing in these cities. In many of these cities, ITITES companies are expanding their workforce and this in turn is providing an incentive to organized retailing.

These cities provide property developers with the most interesting opportunities as demand exceeds supply. Some of the cities in this category such as, Amritsar , Agra and Goa are important tourist destinations.

Another significant characteristic of these smaller cities is that their economic growth rate (on a smaller base) is much higher than that of the bigger cities. On account of low property costs, lower salary levels and high brand acceptance, retailers are able to achieve much better margins in these cities. At present, retail formats in these cities are smaller - ranging from one lakh to 1.5 lakh sq ft, compared to five lakh sq ft in the major metros.

Nascent cities
There are 19 cities in this category: Patna, Bhopal, Meerut, Asanol, Varanasi, Kolhapur, Sonepat, Madurai, Rajkot, Jabalpur, Dhanbad, Vijaywada, Srinagar, Panipat , Aurangabad, Solapur, Ranchi, Jodhpur, and Guwhati. At present, income level as well as corporate activity is low in these cities, as is the level of organised retailing.

Nonetheless, pioneering retailers and mall developers, who want to profit from the first-mover advantage, have put these cities on their watch list. Already, Pantaloon's Big Bazaar store is present in many of these cities, while developers like Prozone have already forayed into cities like Aurangabad and Rajkot.

It is apparent that organized retailing has a long way to go and opportunities are available to mall developers across the country.

Source: Retail boom entering smaller cities

Retail shops will be banned in Uttar Pradesh

Mayawati (UP CM) has ordered ban on big retail shop in UP. Why not Mayawati did ban earlier opening of standalone retail outlets in UP. Who will pay the loss Reliance has to bear due to closing of opened outlets.

India's retail explosion: Good or Bad?

Small traditional players in retails will get difficult fighting new big players. Caste based business in retail (baniya) will be marginalized further. Food grain shops are owned by traditional players I call baniya. general public are just watching these big players thinking what will be the outcome for them.

My view is that farmers will get independence from middleman and customers will get good service and new innovative kind of service these big players are supposed to provide.

The upmarket retail sector seems set for a virtual explosion with the entry of a whole host of domestic players while foreign companies are waiting and watching eagerly on the sidelines. With India being one of the biggest emerging markets, it is no wonder that retail giants like Wal-Mart and Carrefour are eager to make an entry.
For the time being, however, domestic giants like Reliance, Pantaloon, ITC, RPG, Rahejas and the Bharti group have jumped into the fray. These big retail chains seem to be visible at virtually every street corner lately but the question is, what happens to the neighbourhood grocer?

The fact is that big retail chains have a lot to offer both the farmer and the consumer. On the other hand, the vibrant Indian trading community is going to be hard hit. Farmers are keen for big retailers to come in as they help in both marketing and processing of output without their having to go to middlemen in the mandis. Consumers similarly are reaping a bonanza as prices at these shops are at rock bottom rates since big retailers can afford to buy directly from the farmers.

No wonder that there have been reports of farmers protesting in Jharkhand against efforts to stop big retailers from buying tomatoes directly from them. In contrast, there were reports from another city of small retailers protesting in front of a Reliance Fresh showroom saying it was ruining their business.

Politicians, of course, are entering the fray to oppose the entry of large retail chains, but clearly economic forces are now going to play a larger role.

In this context, some of the data on the retail sector in India makes for interesting reading. For instance the CII-AT Kearney retail study shows that retailing is the largest contributing sector to the country's GDP. Besides, the retail sector contributes about 10 percent to the GDP compared to 8 percent in China, 6 percent in Brazil and a matching 10 percent in the US.

India is estimated to have around 15 million retail outlets, making it the country with the highest retail outlet density in the world. It also tops AT Kearney's list of emerging markets for global retailers. Currently the value of the retail market is estimated at around $270 billion with a growth rate of 5.7 percent per annum according to the India Retail Report 2007.

In addition, 96 per cent of the total retail trade in the country is in the unorganised sector. The size of the organised retail market in 2006 was estimated at Rs 485 billion, making up 4.7 per cent of the retail market. As for job potential, the retail industry is the second largest employer after agriculture, employing about 6-7 per cent of the total work force.

Data clearly shows that the retail sector is not only extremely large but provides a huge amount of jobs in this country. The entry of the organised large retail chains may not have an immediate impact on the trading community. But in the long run, it is clear that small traders and retailers will be affected and the government cannot ignore the issue.

While one would ideally like to take the side of the consumers and the farmers on the issue, it is evident that the muscling in of the big retailers may lead to large-scale closures of small trading outlets. And this in turn could affect many families relying on jobs in this sector.

At the same time, the investments made by large food retailers in farm production could lead to tremendous savings as huge amounts of fruit and vegetables that cannot be processed are simply thrown away in India. In areas like Uttarakhand, for instance, farmers are welcoming the entry of retail chains that are putting money into proper processing and packaging facilities.

The government, on its part, insists that small retailers may face competition from the big fish but have definite advantages over them owing to low overheads, local market knowledge and their engaging in services like home delivery and sales on credit.

It also points to the fact that wastage estimated in the Indian food chain is around 40 per cent, valued at over Rs 500 billion ($10 billion) annually. A study by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) has also shown that only about 2 per cent of fruits and vegetables are processed in this country. In this backdrop, it is felt that there is no option but to allow big retail chains to make huge investments needed to create an efficient and modern agro processing industry.

Despite these arguments, it is clear the small trading community will have to be given some form of protection in the coming years. Otherwise, not only will the small retailer gradually disappear from the city scene, but even worse, employment for thousands of people could be affected in the long run.

Source:India's retail explosion

TATA deals for Retail with Woolworths

Tata is trying to expand fast in retail market. TATA group has lots of experience about India consumer. They are already selling Match Box, salt and many other items sold in retail shop.

The Tata group is in talks with Woolworths Ltd, an Australian retail company, to set up supermarkets and hypermarkets in an attempt to widen its own retail business and enter a segment that accounts for 60-65% of India's $350 billion (Rs14 trillion) retail market, according to industry body Retailers Association of India (RAI).

One of the group's company, Infiniti Retail Ltd, recently launched the Croma chain of consumer electronics stores in association with Woolworths, which is a technical partner in the venture. (Woolworth has no equity stake in Infiniti.)

Given the largely unorganized nature of food retailing in India, firms entering the business have either hired foreign retail industry executives or forged alliances with foreign retailers or both. Indian laws do not allow foreign retailers in multi-brand retail, although they are allowed to operate wholesale cash and carry businesses.

The Tata group already has a presence in the supermarket business through Star India Bazaar, which is run by group company Trent Ltd. Trent also owns the Westside and Landmark chains. Tata Chemicals Ltd recently announced a joint venture with European fresh produce firm Total Produce for a food and grocery distribution business.
A mere 1.3% of food and grocery sales in India happen through supermarkets and other outlets that are part of organized retail; business houses such as Reliance Industries Ltd and Aditya Birla Group are hoping to change this as they make big investments in the business. Bharti Enterprises Ltd too has announced a retail foray with Wal-Mart Stores Inc. joining it as a partner for the back-end or supply business.

Woolworths has around 700 supermarkets in Australia, according to its website, and is the country's second largest employer. It announced sales of A$16,849.9 million for the six months ended 31 December 2006, up 9.7% from the year-ago period.

Source: LiveMint

Microsoft enters PC retailing market

Microsoft crafted their empire with software. They are no stranger to hardware, either, crafting Microsoft-branded keyboards, mice, gamepads and a slim variety of other hardware. Microsoft is for the first time ever going to be selling desktop computers. Launching initially in India.

read more | digg story

Where is Investment Happening in India?

Infrastructure sectors account for the bulk of investment going into the top ten sectors includes electricity generation, steel, construction, railway transport, road transport, shipping and telecommunications. This is a very good news for long term development in India.

Today the sector attracting the largest investment is electricity. There are 1,141 outstanding projects involving a total cost of Rs 11,65,928 crore. Of these 261 projects are under implementation, while the rest have been announced or proposed. The second biggest investment draw is the steel industry. It has 310 outstanding projects at a total cost of Rs 5,07,986. Construction comes third with 1,483 projects.
The biggest industries are the capital intensive ones of electricity generation, steel and chemicals. The rush of SEZ construction, along with the nationwide boom in supply of real estate, has given big values for construction, clustered around the largest cities. Large values are seen for the infrastructure of transportation and communication (railways, roads, shipping, telecom).

Delving into each of these industries reveals many interesting features.

In the case of electricity, the biggest projects are the nuclear generation plants made possible by the India-US nuclear deal. The table also shows the continued domination of the public sector in electricity generation, thus highlighting the failure of electricity reforms, which have not elicited adequate interest from the private sector. The table with large railway projects is particularly important because of the potential of railways as the most energy-efficient form of transportation.

The writer is senior fellow at the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy

Organised food retailing can increase rural income, cut inflation

At an estimated Rs 12.8 trillion in 2006, India's retailing sector makes up close to forty per cent of the country's GDP. Of this, food and grocery (F&G) items account for a significant 74 per cent of total retail sales across both, the organised and unorganised sectors. Only 1% of the food items retailed in India flow through the organised retail channel.

Organised food retailing can increase rural incomes, reduce inflation and increase rural spending power, which would then boost the gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate. A CRISIL Research report on the retail food industry says the total avoidable supply chain costs in the Food & Grocery (F&G) vertical, which accounts for 74 per cent of total retail sales in the Indian organised and unorganised sector, are about Rs 1,00,000 crore. About 57 per cent is due to avoidable wastage and 43 per cent due to avoidable storage and commissions costs.

The F&G vertical comprises fresh fruits and vegetables, milk and milk products, fast moving consumer goods and food grains (staples). Within this, staples and unprocessed fruits and vegetables account for 50 per cent of food retail, amounting to Rs 4,70,000 crore, the CRISIL Research paper says. The distribution costs increase due to the presence of several layers in the supply chain and, coupled with the movement of goods across different states or regions, lead to high wastage — caused by inadequate transportation and cold storage facilities.

CII reply to outsourcing debate in USA

Sunil Bharti Mittal with S. S. Mehta, Director-General was addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday after a six-member CEO delegation returned from the U.S.

CII said to American leaders and the U.S. business community that the outsourcing debate should not become an India-centric as it could hurt cordial relations between the two nations.

Mr. Mittal, who is also President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), was recently in the U.S. as head of Indian CEO's delegation. Mr. Sunil Bharti Mittal said the Indian delegation told every senior political leader, U.S. government officials and business heads it met how the small issue was being exaggerated.

Indian CEOs have also asked their American counterparts to realize that outsourcing was good for the growth of the U.S. economy, besides highlighting how the reverse outsourcing trend was benefiting major U.S.-based companies. They told that how skilled manpower and knowledgebase is helping USA.

Source: CII highlights benefits of outsourcing

Gulf firms eyeing booming Indian retail sector

With a retail boom sweeping India, private entities from the Gulf region are making a bee-line to invest in the sector but are wary of some challenges in the huge and diverse market, according to experts here.
"Over the next two years, India is planning to develop a staggering 518 shopping malls across the country. Typically every 100 miles, the food and language changes, which means that your communications has to be key," Srinath Sridharan, head of lifestyle business and strategic alliances at Wadhawan Holding Private Limited in India was quoted as saying by Gulf News.
The size of the country is another factor that could deter retailers from investing in India, said Shubhranshu Pani, president, retail services at Trammell Crow Meghraj Property Consultants.

"By 2015 almost 72 per cent of the population would be under 35-years-old, which I think will contribute to the highest number of consumers in the world."

Happy Consumer in India

The Nielsen Company's Global Consumer Confidence Index given Indian Consumer highest point. India came first with 135, followed by Norway on 132 and Denmark on 127, although all three scores were down 1-2 points from six months ago.

Scandinavians were also bullish, while Japanese, South Koreans and Hungarians were among the most pessimistic consumers, according to the survey, which gauges consumers' outlook for the next 12 months.

Neighbours South Korea in contrast came bottom of the ranking, scoring just 50 and down six points from the previous survey. Confidence in Japan also dropped, by 3 points to 68, despite signs of an improving economy.

Consumer sentiment in the United States, the world's biggest economy, dipped 2 points from a previous survey taken in November to 106. However, that was still better than most countries and on a par with China, whose score was unchanged.

Source: India tops global consumer index

Retail Sector In India

Some facts about Retail sectors in India

As you know Indian Retail sector is booming.I tried to collect some facts about it, so that you can get good insight about retail sectors in India. I researched and tried to get data very useful for youngsters. If you see nothing great about retail sector in current situation then you should read this before continuing further: Trend in Retail Sector

Jobs in the Retail Sector
By Function
	Level	Salary (Rs lakh/year)
Operations	Asst manager	2.5-7
		Manager	4-10
	General manager	8-15
	Vice-president	15-50
Supply chain	Executive	2.5
		Manager	4.5-9
	Value chain head	12-35
Visual merchandising(VM)	Store VM	1.5
		Area VM	4-6
	Merchandising head	10-20

By Rank
	Qualifications	Salary (Rs lakh/year)
Sales executive	Undergrad or even a dropout, good selling and communication kills	0.7-1.2
Department manager	Graduate with two years of experience as sales executive	1.2-2
Store manager	Graduate, preferably MBA, with 3-4 years of experience, excellent customer relationship management skills, should be able to work long hours	4-11
Area manager	Graduate, preferably MBA, with 7-8 years of experience, or 5-6 years as store manager	12-35
Head of operations	MBA, with minimum 10-12 years experience of the entire gamut of operations	20-50

Source: Rediff

Roles and Expectations, your interest and aptitude for Retail Sector:


Sales

~ Every retail store depends on the sales force to sell its merchandise. If you enjoy interacting with people and love to be a part of the customer's final purchasing process than retail sales is for you.

~ You would be expected to provide a high level of service and expertise. Since you will directly interact with those buying the products, you must know the product well.

~ You must be flexible, levelheaded, and have a knack for problem solving.

You Need: These positions are typically entry points into a career in retail, and a graduate with the right mix of qualities can make a start.

Store manager

~ If you always wanted to run your own business or thrive in an environment that changes rapidly then store management is the perfect career option for you.

~ Store managers are responsible for managing an individual store. Most store managers take on the duty of day-to-day operations of the store.

~ You would be responsible for encouraging and inspiring the staff to do their best.

~ You would have to understand and analyse the business and execute plans to achieve sales and profit targets.

You Need: Graduates in any field with at least two years of experience are given preference.

Retail manager

~ The role of retail manager involves understanding the mindset, habits and lifestyle of the customer.

~ He/she also plans and coordinates the operations of the outlet.

~ This involves determining the layout of merchandise, monitoring the stock levels, placing orders for new stock, managing the supply chain and keeping and analysing records of all financial transactions.

You Need: You should be an MBA with at least a years' experience. You must also be inclined towards a high level of customer service.

Retail design/Visual Merchandising

~ Retail design or visual merchandising plays an important role in this business. Designers or visual merchandisers are the ones who give a face to the brand.

~ Corporates are realizing the importance of brands and their image. It is through good designs that a retailer can enhance the brand image and attract the customers to the store.

~ If you have an eye for detail and a creative mind, retail design can give you the opportunity to go wild with your ideas.


You Need: A course in designing would be a good way to launch into a career in visual merchandising.

Source: Rediff

I tried to get some details of Retail Sectors Jobs available currently in India. So, that you can decide pursuing jobs in Retails Sector:

I searched the few Job sites:
Search Term: Store Manager

Site: ClickJobs - 55 result (India)
Site: Naukri - 80 result (Anywhere)
Site: Jobsahead - 361 result (India)
Stat on April 26

Courses in Retail Sector

This site is dedicated to Retail Sector in India. Here you can find updates in Retail Sectors by newsletters also.
http://www.indiaretailing.com/retail-report.asp

Impact on small shops

What are the consequences of retailing growing as a large industry? It is likely that giant business houses, with their rich organizational infrastructure emerging in the scene, capture the retail market and leave the small shop owners high and dry. The competitive muscles of the minnows may not have adequate financial strength to compete with the rich entrepreneurs who may easily drain out the sources in one go, as in vegetable procurement. Small shops, sometimes known as `Kirana' or `Mom & Pop' outfits do have great cause for alarm.

Several lakhs of people now engaged in small shops and associated activities may get displaced upsetting their livelihood, causing a certain amount of social imbalance, unless appropriate corrective steps are planned and implemented in time. At the policy level, there has to be measures in the regulation of foreign direct investment in this sector, in order to ensure the economic security of the vulnerable segments of the population. From a social point of view, organized retailing should not emerge as a `category killer' - something that has such a great competitive advantage that rival establishments find it almost impossible to operate profitably in that industry.

There is another side to this picture. Those who have studied at least up to the 10 Plus-Two level will have opportunities to enter the large retailing enterprises and gradually rise to attractive positions.Further, there will be demand for managers with specialisation in retailing, since the volume of specialised work and finance involved in the units would be large.

As an instance of retailing emerging in a big way in our country, we may see that Bharti Enterprises have joined hands with the world's largest retailer Wal-Mart Stores for foraying into the retail business. Many other investors are in the queue.

Some may argue that this is not a new phenomenon in India, citing chains such as the Bata that specialises in footwear. But what we discuss here is a different kettle of fish. The new genre of retailing organisations will have a great impact on our commerce.

It is true that retailers such as Pantaloon, Subiksha, FoodWorld, Spencers, Shoppers Stop, Lifestyle, Big Bazaar, Bharti, and Westside are already in operation. Reliance, Tatas, RPG, and Birlas are said to have giant projects on the anvil. But the incursion of retailers like Wal-Mart, Sears, Tesco, Target, Krogers, Benetton, Nike, Carrefour, and Reebok will have severe social and financial consequences.

It may be seen that whereas 85 per cent of retailing in developed countries is handled by the organised sector, its contribution in India is below five per cent, though it is growing at a rapid rate. Nearly half of the fast-moving retail products in our country belong to food items. More than half of this falls into the unbranded variety. Herein lies the great potential in retailing; brand them and sell them through large organised retailing outlets.

According to one estimate, organised retailing on India would reach $23 billion by 2010. A growth rate of about 20 per cent would involve a leap in the job opportunities for the educated youth. According to one estimate, the emerging jobs may go to 10 million or 15 million. We are speaking about jobs such as salesman, counter assistant, store manager, logistics manager, retail manager, visual merchandiser, and supply chain distributor. It may be remembered that when retailing emerges as big business, there would be tough competition that calls for the dynamic services of active and enthusiastic professionals.

Mass procurement, quality check, scientific distribution of products ensuring purity, good quality, and reliability at reasonable price would form the hallmark of effective retailing.

Mass procurement directly from the producers will eliminate intermediaries and help to bring down the selling price. Though the successful operation of such units would be confined to urban areas, the retail market in India is unusually vast offering great potential to the retail business. If the middle class can be roped in, the business is bound to thrive. Source: The Hindu

Food retail will benefits farmers. They were denied their right for long. Middle men generally benefits from their hard earned crop.
They take risk, they take loan but at last middle men eat all fruits.

Proponents for FDI opined that that foreign investment would help in improving the retail and supply chain infrastructure, and generate large-scale employment in the country. In addition, the Indian retailers could absorb some of the best operational practices of these international retailers and gain in experience. Ultimately, the consumers would benefit due to the availability of more product offerings, lower prices, and efficient service.

Those who opposed FDI argued that the entry of foreign retail giants would be detrimental to the livelihoods of unorganized retailers in India. There were an estimated 12 million shops, which accounted for 97% of the retail market in India. There were concerns that these small retail stores would not be able to compete with the operational efficiencies and financial muscle of foreign players. More

Retail reform
The Government regulations allow 100 per cent FDI in cash and carry through automatic route and 51 per cent in single brand. Besides, the franchise route is available for big operators. Now, the Government also proposes further liberalisation in the retail sector allowing 51 per cent FDI in consumer electronics and sports goods.

The retail road ahead
The Indian retail market is estimated at US$ 350 billion. But organised retail is estimated at only US$ 8 billion. However, the opportunity is huge--by 2010, organised retail is expected to grow to US$ 22 billion. With the growth of organised retailing estimated at 40 per cent (CAGR) over the next few years, Indian retailing is clearly at a tipping point. India is currently the ninth largest retail market in the world. And it is names of small towns like Dehradun, Vijayawada, Lucknow and Nasik that will power India up the rankings soon. (Source - Last Updated: April 9, 2007)

Education & Training:

Retail EducationIn India
Welingkar Institute of Management	Offers a variety ofprogrammes in Retail Management
K J Somaiya Institute of Management Studies & Research	Offers a Diploma inRetail Management in conjunction with Pantaloon Retail India Ltd
Mudra Institute of Communications	Post GraduateCertificate Programme In Retail Management
Indian Retail School	Variety of Courses In Retail Management
Pearl Academy of Fashion	Variety of Retail Management Programs
RPG Institute of Retail Management	Variety of Courses In Retail Management
SPJain Institute of Management and Research, Mumbai	MBA with specialization in Retail Managementoption
Birla Institute of Management Technology, New Delhi	PostGraduate Diploma in Retailing and Merchandsing Management
Rai University	(GPD(Hons) RetailManagement)
Narsee Monjee Institute of Management & Higher Studies	MBA in RetailManagement
Indian Institute of Jewellery	Retail Jewellery Management
Institute of Technology andManagement	Masters in Retail Management & Marketing
Indian Instituteof Retail, New Delhi	Variety of Courses In Retail Management
Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning (SCDL)	Post Graduate Diploma in Retail Management (PGDRM)
The Retail Academy, Ahmedabad	Variety of Courses In Retail Management
National Institute of Fashion technology(NIFT)	Recentlylaunched fashion Retail Management course

Other Educational Institutions are also providing education in Retail Sector in India. Search and Research well before joining.
Update and more Info on Education Info

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