Token strike today to cost garment storeowners heavy losses; city alone to suffer a shortfall of Rs100 crore
Token strike today to cost garment storeowners heavy losses; city alone to suffer a shortfall of Rs100 crore
Nearly one lakh shops across the country will remain shut today as part of the 'No sale day' in protest against the imposition of 10 per cent excise duty on branded apparel ('You can't shop for clothes on Monday,' March 4). And even though this means that retailers will experience a Rs 500-crore loss nationwide, they are not backing down. 
Havingu00a0their say:u00a0A poster at a garments store
Sources say that approximately 20,000 shops in the city will remain shut, which will cost retailers across the city a shortfall of Rs 100 crore. While some may consider the retailers' move a little extravagant, the protestingu00a0 group said that they would rather face the brunt of the duty now, and save themselves from future losses.
"People have asked us why we chose to remain shut, but this move will surely attract the government's attention. The losses we will face are huge but we needed to take such harsh steps to protect our business and also save our customers from further costs," said Viren Shah, president, Federation of Retailers Traders Welfare Association.
Shah added that designers have also decided to extend their support and will remain shut today. Elaborating further on the protest, Kumar Rajgopalan, CEO, Retailers Association of India, said, "With the imposition of the excise, the prices of clothes will increase, and the cost will have to be borne by the public. People might shop less as they prices are already soaring with inflation, which will affect major brands and also the small and medium garment manufacturers."
However, many sceptics think the protest today will not make any difference as few people shop on Monday.
Refuting this claim, Shah said, "Most small retailers keep their shops shut on Sundays and Monday is the first day of week and many people choose to shop on this day. Additionally, now is the time when discounts are announced and we experience maximum sales. But because of the bandh we will experience a great loss."
1 lakh
Number of garment shops in u00a0India that will be shut today
20,000
Shops in Mumbai that will join u00a0the strike
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