As a small town boy, going to big shopping centers and hypermarkets were like achieving life goals. In my hometown we had a shopping complex with supermarkets , but it was Big Bazar in Trivandrum gave me a feel of hypermarkets or department stores, till then i haven't seen a place that sells clothing, sports equipment's, stationery, furniture's, footwears, electronics, mobile phones, utensils, vegetables and groceries under one roof. I had also not seen a place which had air conditioner and escalator placed in every floor in Kerala .Shopping malls were alien to Kerala at that time, and to some extend, Big Bazaars filled that gap.
Kishor Biyani, the founder of Future Retails under which comes the Big Bazaar, FBB, Brand Factory, Central, ALL, Tasty Treats etc, and his Future Group is under tremendous pressure to run the company for last one year and COVID 19 was another blow to them. Most of us have heard news that Mukesh Ambani led RIL has agreed to take over Future Retails, but now has hit a roadblock because of Amazon issue.
https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-tussle-between-future-group-amazonwhat-happens-next-6913824/
The above link will get you understand the real issue of Amazon-Future Group-Reliance Tussle.
Last day I visited one of the two big bazars in Trivandrum, a place which is usually full of activities, especially people with trolleys full of items they purchased, ever since the outbreak of Covid this clustering of people was missing in most places, expect for few and the Big Bazaar being one place which has been affected seriously. The empty grocery racks, near to rotten vegetables & fruits, empty cold drink fridges, heavy discounts on apparels and utensils, electronics floor remaining empty and most importantly drastic reduction in number of staff. Non-maintenance of building and equipment were apparently visible. I was emotionally so much down because, this was one place where we used to go as family and friends, spend hours climbing up and down, window shopping and real shopping things, and now it is turning into a near ghost building.
There was huge cry when big bazaar was launched in Kerala, the main one was that small shops will get closed and thereby livelihood of thousand will be affected. It might be true for certain extend, however in the long run, both small and big shops started to co-exist, for eg I would rather buy my penny groceries from nearby small traders than spend my money and time visiting Big Bazaar, but establishments like Big Bazaar was creating jobs in multiple of thousands. The future retail itself is employing more than thirty thousand employees even during this distress period. If it goes down, the livelihood of these people will be at stake.
The reason why I wish and pray that Future Retail should find a solution for it's deal is that, such establishments are wheels of economy, it provides employments to our youth, it pays all kind of taxes from municipality to GST and Income Tax, it promotes numerous small brands by giving them space in their racks, thus it influences thousands of families. I feel it is important that Central Government and it agencies should act proactively to find a solution for this dilemma, the country is already going through the worst economic crisis period now, and Future group turning non-performing and closing will be a big blow to the whole banking system, stock market and economy. As a consumer, I would certainly want to see more Big Bazaars like stores opening in many new cities co-existing with local stores and thereby making the wheels of economy move fast.
