Both organised and unorganised retail sectors can co-exist without hitch, a senior government official said today, urging smaller players to vent problems thoroughly about perceived threats from larger corporations.
"Problems (of the unorganised players) need to be articulated.... It's possible for both the sectors to co-exist," Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Consumer Affairs Rakesh Kacker said at a retail summit here.
Kacker, however, remained non-committal on easing of the foreign direct investment cap in retail, saying the government will decide on the matter "in due course."
At present, the FDI limit stands at 51 per cent for single-brand retailing and 100 per cent for cash-and-carry.
Kacher said the single window system for investments in retail should be stressed seriously as the sector "interacts with the economy on behalf of consumers."
Meanwhile, industry body Assocham has sought that a regulator be set up for the retail sector in line with the telecom watchdog Trai.
Speaking at the summit, Raheja Developers' Managing Director Navin M Raheja said there is enough space for retail activity in the country.
However, he added, the challenge is that of affordability and moving ahead with a balancing approach for overall development of the retail sector.