FDI IN MULTI-BRAND RETAILING: OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS FOR RURAL INDIA

Abstract

Indian retail industry is one of the sunrise sectors with huge growth potential. According to the Investment Commission of India, the retail sector is expected to grow almost three times its current levels to $660 billion by 2015. The last decade has witnessed the entry of a number of organized retailers opening stores in various modern formats in metros and other important cities. Still, the overall share of organized retailing in total retail business has remained low. The traditional grocery retail is the largest contributor to the total grocery retailing in India. But, more than that, it is a major employment provider accounting for 10 % of the total employment in the country. This became a major concern for the Indian government while deciding over the opening of FDI gates for India.
This paper attempts to discuss all these aspects. The paper is organized into four main sections. While the “FDI in Indian Retail†is discussed in first part, the second part of the paper outlines the “Employment in Retailing†.The third part presents a discussion on Current Scenario of “AgriInfrastructure in the Country†and the fourth part deals with the “Opportunities and Challenges†faced by the Indian retail sector.