Retail body wants shops open till late

After Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, Kolkata may be the next city in India to witness extended working hours for retail establishments.

The Retailers Association of India (RAI) is in talks with Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chief minister of West Bengal, to get a green signal for extended retail hours in the state.

According to Gibson G Vedamani, CEO of RAI, "We have urged Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to allow shops to stay open till at least 11.30 at night, if not overnight. In Mumbai and Delhi, a few retailers had approached the government individually and got permission to keep their shops open till late."

"Moreover, the Shops & Establishments Act of every state that stipulates opening and closing hours for shops, is quite flexible and has already given permission to individual shops in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai to stay open till late. A similar situation could be expected in Kolkata soon," Vedamani added.

At present, all retail outlets in the state have to shut by 8.30 pm, making it difficult for people who work late hours to manage their shopping during the week.

As a result of this, most outlets tend to be overcrowded on weekends.

Vedamani said, "Once retailers have the option of deciding their working hours, it is upto them to decide what time they want to close down the shop. Most stores would not stay open beyond 1 am or so, and that too mainly on weekends which see the maximum rush."

In Delhi and Mumbai, for instance, shops are allowed to stay open till 11 pm, but only those which see enough business at those times are doing so.

"In Mumbai, at least 25 individual shops have obtained permission to stay open till 11pm. Similar is the situation in Chennai. In Delhi, most shopping malls have obtained permission to stay open till late," Vedamani informed.

The biggest concern is related to labour issues which do not want staff to work beyond eight-hour shifts.

"This way infact, more employment would be generated as almost double the number of manpower would be required to work the additional hours as well as boost consumption in the state," Vedamani said.

At present, the retailing industry in India is around Rs 9,30,000 crore, of which organised retail is around Rs 35,000 crore, and is growing at 42 per cent per annum.

The industry currently employs 3.5 lakh people and by 2010 the annual manpower need is expected to double.