Hawkers set terms for big retail

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The Gariahat hawkers' group that prevented retailer Spencer's from opening its second large-format store here on Friday said today that any organised retailer wishing to do business in the city must not sell common commodities in packs below a specified weight and price line.

Representatives of the Hawkers' Sangram Samiti, a member of the National Hawkers' Federation that organised the picketing at Spencer's Gariahat location, met officials of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and RPG Enterprises, the parent group of Spencer's, and demanded that their conditions be met by all retailers including Food Bazaar of the Future Group, which have been operating for years here without any hindrance.

Mayor Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya represented the KMC, while the Hawkers' Sangram Samiti was represented by Shaktiman Ghosh, who is also general secretary of the National Hawkers' Federation.

"We have placed our demands before the mayor and the management of the Spencer's. If our terms and conditions are not accepted then we will not let Spencer's to open. Moreover, we will start an agitation in front of the standalone retail stores in the city from July 9 onwards," said Ghosh.

The National Hawkers' Federation and the Hawkers Sangram Samiti insisted that Spencer's should not undercut the hawkers and should keep its prices at least one rupee more than that charged by the hawkers on every common product.

They also demanded that Spencer's be barred from selling any kind of hosiery product and lingerie. Nor should it be allowed to sell any garment priced below Rs 300.

The restrictions on quantity relate to vegetables like potatoes and onions. According to the hawkers, the organised retail chains should not sell these items in packs less than six kg, and other vegetables in packs less than three kg.

For rice and flour, the big players should be restricted to branded products, and for edible oils they should not sell packs less than 5 litres.

These demands have not yet been accepted by Spencer's.

"The issue has only been discussed. On Monday, there will be a meeting with the trade unions of all parties. In that meeting, we will try to finalise some guidelines for the retailers so that the hawkers' business interests are not hampered," said the Mayor.

Monday's meeting will call representatives of all the major nine trade unions including CITU, the ruling CPI(M)'s labour unit.