Apna Bazaar

CONSUMER CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES INTRODUCTION

Consumer co-operation was the form of co-operation developed. In 1814, in England, the twenty-eight weavers in Rochdale formed the first consumer co-operative in the world. This movement gradually developed in the European countries and became very successful in Sweden,Denmark,United Kingdom and Finland. CONSUMER CO-OPERATIVES IN INDIA The consumer co-operatives are playing an important role in providing essential items ties to the consumers at reasonable prices. Consumer co-operatives have continued and other commodities to the consumers at reasonable prices. Consumer Co-operatives have continued to help in strengthening the distribution network of essential commodities and interests of the consumers against artificial scaracity,overchanging of prices, supply of substandard goods and the unfair trade practices resorted by private traders. The democratically elected management of consumer co-operatives, help to gain better acceptance with the consumers. Consumers are unorganized and therefore exploited by traders in price, quality and weight. Consumer co-operatives protects the interests of consumers against artificial scarcity, over charging of prices, supply of sub standard goods and the unfair trade practices distorted by private traders. DEFINITION: Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960, defines consumer co-operative society as a society, the object of which is: The procurement, production or processing and the distribution of goods to or, the performance of other services for its members as also other consumers,

Apna Bazaar The distribution among its members and customers, of the profit occurring from such procurement, production, processing and distribution are in proportion as prescribed by rules or byelaws of the society. A consumer co-operative society is formed for the promotion of the interests of the consumers. COMPOSITION OF CONSUMER CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES: National Co-operative Consumers Federation

State Co-operative Consumers Federation

Wholesale / Central Stores

Departmental Stores (Apna Bazaar)

Primary Consumer Co-operative Stores

Consumers Stores for Rural Population

Consumers Stores of Industrial Workers

University & College Consumers Stores

OBJECTIVES OF CONSUMER CO-OPERATIVES:

Apna Bazaar To educate the consumers to keep their needs within the income limit. Stabilization of market rates. To supply the goods and services regularly at reasonable costs. To protect the consumers from black marketing, increase in market rates, scarcity, cheating and adulteration. To supply proper unadulterated goods and to use proper measurement (weighing scales). To inculcate the habit of savings and economy among the consumers. To control the profit-making tendency

NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF CONSUMER CO-OPERATIVES: SUPPLY OF THINGS AND SERVICES AS PER NEEDS The consumer co-operative societies are formed to satisfy the needs goods and services as demanded by the consumers. There are directly contracts with producers and manufacturers of things and required goods are purchased directly from them, thereby the consumers can be supplied with the goods as demanded. ERADICATION OF MALPRACTICES OF TRADERS It is found that there are many malpractices in trading like black marketing, artificial scarcity, cheating in measurements, hoarding, etc. proper measurements are not used whereby the consumer becomes ultimate victim of all these malpractices by the traders. There is no place for all these things in co-operative consumer societies and so the consumers are attracted towards them. NECESSITY OF TIME

Apna Bazaar India has adopted financial planning and there is importance for public distribution of essentialities of life. The consumer co-operative societies help the government in distributing these essentialities to rural and urban areas of our country. These societies have become very important day by day. Since these societies have been entrusted the job distribution, the consumers are saved from financial exploitation and hardship. ESTABLISHMENT OF PROPER TRADING SYSTEM The consumer co-operative societies supply good quality of things at reasonable cost by using right measurement and pure things. Hence, from the viewpoint of customers these societies are very important. ERADICATION OF TRADERS CHAIN

There is long chain in between the producers and consumers. The things are sold at higher cost to consumers because the middlemen add their own profit and expenses. The consumer co-operative societies directly purchase the goods from the producers and chain of middleman can be avoided.

APNA BAZAAR
Apna Bazaar is probably the oldest and largest consumer co-operative multi-state society with a customer base of over 12 lakhs. The Rs 140-crore retail chain, that, for over 55 years remained largely middle-class, Apna Bazaar has 80 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa.. We are projecting sales of Rs 165 crore this fiscal year, including the franchisee contribution of Rs 30-35 crore, down by Rs 10 crore from last year.

Apna Bazaar Brand name of Date of Incorporation Constitution Sector Industry Registered Office Mumbai Kamgar Madhyavarti

Grahak Sahakari Mandal Ltd 9th May 1948 Multi State Co-operative Society Private Retailing 106-A, 400014 Govingi Keni Road, Naigaon, Dadar [East], Mumbai

ROLE OF APNA BAZAAR: Apna bazaar plays a vital role by market intervention during the shortages of essential commodities. The distribution of these items is taken up by the Apna Bazaar at a loss to fulfill its social commitments. At times of need, Apna Bazaar has diverted its manpower and resources, even at the cost of its own commercial interest, for the public good. OBJECTIVES OF APNA BAZAAR: To undertake wholesale and retail distribution of consumer goods and essential commodities; and to establish department stores; To foster the growth products and new manufacturing units through market support and management advice To lower distribution costs and to introduce fair and better trading practices such as fixed prices etc; and Eradication of malpractices of traders black marketing, artificial scarcity, cheating in measurements, adulteration, etc. Necessity of time public distribution of essential commodities in rural and urban areas. Elimination of middlemen. 5

Apna Bazaar

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATION: Apna Bazaar is headed by a management team comprising a chairman, vice chairman and Hon secretaries. The team largely provides direction to the organization and is not involved in the day-to-day affairs. The day-to-day affairs are managed by an executive team, which consists of a general manager, additional general manager and office bearers of the organization.

OUTLET

Apna Bazaar has a customer base of over 12 lakhs. Apna Bazaar has 86 outlets, of which 46 are company owned and the rest are franchisees. Chain of Apna Bazaar stores 6 Super Markets (ranging between 1000 2500 square feet storing grains, personal care

products etc.)

Apna Bazaar 8 Departmental Stores (ranging between 5000 20000 square feet storing all products 30 Retail Outlets (ranging between 300 750 square feet) 14 Medical Stores 20 Franchisee Stores

including shoes, textiles, plastics, furniture, crockery etc.)

Let Us All Strive For Profits. P Productivity and Efficiency R Readiness to Change O Optimum Utilisation of Resources F Fairness to all concerned I Income, Innovation, Industriousness T Team Work S Service Oriented Approach Quality We adhere to the best quality standards, that is, our products are AGMARK accredited. The same has been possible due to the long process commencing from identification, selection, cleaning, purification, packaging and storage. The whole work process tackled from the following angles - adulteration, mixing and imitation. The other notable factor is that we ensure the weighment and quantity of the products before they are dispatched for sale (before packing and after packing) in the warehouse. Work Force Productivity

Apna Bazaar We possess an army of well-trained large volunteer force that ensures maximum interactivity. The same has given the advantage to get the best out of their capacity vide making them work on a flexi-hour basis. Our volunteer-to-outlet ration has enabled us to divide work among them in areas as: Service Maintenance Monitoring Point-of-purchase assistance We are proud to reveal the fact Pre-employee productivity of Apna Bazaar is one of the best among all the retail chains in India. Easy and Quick Availability All our outlets are equipped with a complete range of products that forms a part of the daily/regular needs of a typical Indian family. All the products are available under one roof, groceries, food and beverages, milk, personnel care products, vegetables, crockery items and so on and also they come with depth in range and makes. The whole process is based on the foundation of Freedom of Choice to shop at a one-stop! Home Delivery We have introduced for the benefit of our consumers the concept of Home Delivery, the same has been utilised well by people who are busy and have little time to spare for shopping. The same is worked out by dialling our helpline at no extra cost. Ambience

Apna Bazaar To put our customers in the proper frame of mind and instill the dose of shopping spirit, our outlets are done up in the most modern, tasteful and well-decorated manner. The blue hoardings at our outlet's entrance signify a positive spirit and approach serenity, calmness and above all that feel at home theme. In addition to this, we are further guided by the themes of Shop-at-Ease in Peace or Shopping Peacefully. Value-added Services Customer Suggestion Box: Every outlet possesses special boxes wherein, our customers can deposit their suggestions and complaints pertaining to any product or service. Consumer Grievance Cell: Problems faced by the customers in their day-to-day life relating to products and services used by them and the complaints against defects in them are lodged in cell. The same are maintained carefully and resolved through consumer courts. ConvenienceJoints: We are initiating the introduction of Bill Payment service through which our customers can pay their telephone, water, electricity bills and bookings for cooking gas, travel, etc. Supplier focus towards achieving world class supply chain efficiency. We are very much focussed and believe in the theme, Together let us redefine the view of business in the minds of consumers. Facts about Apna Bazaar The Andheri branch of Apna Bazaar was the first superstore in India to reach the sales of Rs. 2 crores in a year. The first departmental store of Apna Bazaar was opened in Ghatkopar. The medical sales are of the highest quantity due to the tax exemption of 8%. The commodities sold at Apna Bazaar are got from states like Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala depending on the best quality. They sell all items from provisionary items to electronic equipments. First AGMARK in India was given to Apna Bazaar brand of masalas. 9

Apna Bazaar They have never advertised their products, as they believe in word -of - mouth publicity. Their only print ad was in the 1980s for their masalas. They also buy commodities from the market at a lower price, for their customers, if they are facing a shortage. They can afford to buy at a lower price since they buy in huge commodities. Goodwill of Apna Bazaar Apna Bazaar is a brand name that is in customer service since the last 50 years and is constantly They are strict on the quality of products for the customers and low price products since the main

expanding. objective in not profit. The shareholders are paid dividend regularly. If the product is not proper, then the customer is reimbursed with another product or cash. The employees are paid wages even when the store does not make profit. Sales Tax, Income Tax etc. is paid regularly on the billed amount. They organise health camps for the poor where free diagnosis and medicines are provided. Due to a strong goodwill, Apna Bazaar also enjoys various benefits like 30 days credit period

from its suppliers. Thus it reduces any problems that could be caused to a shortage in Working Capital. Competition & Development Plans Apna Bazaar faces stiff competition from local ration shops (PDS), MNCs, retailers of MNCs, corporate companies, other big departmental stores etc. Their target audience is mainly middle and lower income groups. Thus they are the best marketing place for companies who want to test market their new products as Apna Bazaar has everything under one roof. As part of their development plans, Apna Bazaar has opened branches mainly in the Konkan region (Thane, Chiplun, Ratnagiri etc.). They believe that their target customer is situated in these areas. 10

Apna Bazaar

MEMBERS BENEFITS Dividend on shares at 12% to individuals, society and government. Purchase rebate on share amount 10% each year. Attractive rate of interest up to 9% on fixed deposit by the members.

FACILITIES OFFERED BY APNA BAZAAR TO CONSUMERS: Apna Bazaar provides the following facilities to consumers: Quality products at reasonable prices. Variety of items under one roof. 24 hours drugs outlets. Self-service counters Items of high quality tested by its quality- testing laboratory. Display boards and price lists at various counters to enable the customer to make his/her choice. Home delivery, but this facility is only available for purchase from branches. Discount sales periodically on various items

LOCATION: The location for the store is selected taking in consideration the residential population in the area, the standard of living of the people, the amount of business the other shops are doing and also future development that are likely to take place in that area in future. AREA COVERED

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Apna Bazaar Apna Bazaar has 86 outlets in Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region. It has recently opened its first shop outside the state in Goa. However, the density of Apna Bazaar is high in Naigoan and Chembur. SPACE REQUIRED The minimum requirement of area for setting up Apna Bazaar is1000 sq.feet. The biggest store is at Vashi, which is spread across 27000 sq.feet. TARGET SEGMENTS The store was started keeping in mind the lower middle class section of the society. But gradually it has moved up the consumer ladder with the inclusion of the middle class as its target consumer. Now slowly it is drawing the upper class towards it. It now caters to almost all the segments of the society depending on the location. In order to attract the upper class & to combat growing competition in the retail industry it is making changes in its product-mix. CHANGE IN PRODUCT MIX Commodity Rice Wheat Dal Pulses Tones (2002-03) 1420 1070 1410 800 Tones (2003-04) 1325 1050 1360 785

The above table indicates decline in the sales of Rice, Wheat, Pulses etc which shows the change in the food culture/consumption pattern of the consumer. It indicates that the consumers inclination towards ready-to-eat food is increasing. Taking this into 12

Apna Bazaar consideration Apna Bazaar had made has made appropriate changes in its Product Mix. Slowly the Percentage of food grains, pulses has declined and that of FMCG products has increased. In a couple of years the percentage of poultry products in the product mix would increase whereas that of food grains pluses etc. would decline. This would further change the product mix of Apna Bazaar. STORE LAYOUT Layout of shop Apna Bazaar does not have any specific layout of shop. But in most of outlet the 1st division you would come out is Vegetable, Fruit, Medical product, food grains, and FMCG product. The only think that is kept under consideration that Heavy Product like 5kg. Sugar, 10kg. Wheat, 5 ltr. Oil is near cash counter for convenience of customer. In case of display they see to it that display at entrance is very colorful & attractive. Hence they display cosmetics & FMCG product. Besides product, which is new to the market, are also displayed to grab attention of consumer

PRODUCT DISPLAY The brands are displayed in a very attractive manner .The decision to place a Brand on a particular shall depends upon the Market share enjoyed by the company /Brand. Usually there are 5 Shelves. Out of which 2nd, 3rd & 4th shelves are most important ones on which the brand with high market share or high brand equity are placed. These products are always in demand by the customers. FOOTFALLS In big stores, like the departmental store at Andheri, there are 2000 to 3000 footfalls in a day (on weekdays) & on weekends there are around 3000 to 3500 footfalls. In small outlets there are around 100 footfalls on regular days .On weekends there are 200 to 250 footfalls. The footfalls are more especially on Sunday.

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Apna Bazaar The footfalls are more in evening between 6.30pm. & 8.30pm .Whereas the footfalls are comparatively low during the afternoon slot of 1.30-3.30 pm. Keeping this in mind stores are closed down during this time. In this time the staff are rearrange the merchandise in the store. SOURCES OF INCOME Retailing is their core activity and a major part of their income come from the various retail outlets. They supply commodities like Dal, Pulses, Food grains, Cereals to Govt. Institutions, Hospitals for their Canteens. A 30 Days credit is given to them. They also earn income from the company racks that they display in their outlets. These racks contain the products of the particular company and the in turn pays Apna Bazaar for displaying these racks. E.g. Maggie, Colgate, Pepsodent, Vicks, Nescafe etc. They provide space to companies e.g. MEPL (Electronic goods) in order to display and sell their goods by charging rent for space provided. They have 37 Franchise outlets, which act as a source of income for Apna Bazaar as Apna Bazaar supplies 70% of goods. Provide place to banks for opening ATM center by charging rent since almost all the outlets are owned by Apna bazaar. MetLife India signed an agreement with Apna Bazaar Co-operative for selling life insurance policies. Based on the agreement, Apna Bazaar Co-operative shall become corporate agents for MetLife India and offer MetLife India products to its huge customer base. Henceforth Apna Bazaar will enable its customers to build financial freedom through MetLife India products based on need analysis. Apna Bazaar will receive a commission of 35% on Premium amount. EXPORTS 'Apna Bazaar ' is a 55 year old co-operative organization with US $ 37 million annual turnover through 07 departmental stores, 06 super markets & 65 retail outlets. 14

Apna Bazaar Apna bazaar used to export commodities like fish and grapes to Europe. In spite of good earnings on exports they have discontinued the exports from this year .Thus the reasons for the discontinuation were due to: The goods were seasonal in nature. In case of grapes the Jalgoan region in which grapes where cultivated was hit by drought, thereby by affecting the production of grapes. Besides the grapes were sprayed with certain chemicals which were banned in the European countries, thereby further affecting the exports. Besides exports is not Apna Bazaars core activity therefore the decision to discontinue exports was taken.

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS
GOODWILL

Apna Bazaar has built its image over the years as a value for money store, which supplies good quality goods at economical price. NUMBER OF OUTLETS Apna Bazaar has 86 outlets spread all over Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Thane and the neighbouring Konkan region, Lanza (Bombay-Goa road), among other places in

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Apna Bazaar Maharashtra. All these areas are easily accessible as public transportation is available. Hence providing easy accessibility to the customers. TEAM WORK Although there is no training imparted to the employees at the outlets, there is coordination and understanding between them due to which the work goes on smoothly creating a win-win situation for both, the management and the employees.

MODERNIZATION Apna Bazaar makes use of modern technology to maintain correct supplier bills

and giving accurate bills to customers giving details of each purchase and most importantly showing him the savings he has made while purchasing from Apna Bazaar. They also possess total details of their sales and the percentage of sales in each category so they know where the sales are high and where they are lagging behind. GENUINE PRODUCTS The products of Apna Bazaar are genuine as they purchase it directly from the companies. Lots of imitations of consumables such as honey, oil, etc. are available in many stores. People get cheated, as it is not easy to identify them. CRM Apna Bazaar organizes a customer meet for their regular customers called MELAVDA at their anniversary to build stronger relations with their customers. On this day, the customers are offered purchase discounts which show that they have taken corrective steps towards customer satisfaction.

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Apna Bazaar WEAKNESSES CAPITAL Raising capital for expansion and improvement is also a constraint. Apna Bazaar is bounded by the laws of consumer co-operatives due to which they cannot raise funds from open market. There is also limit prescribed by the consumer co-operatives for number of shares issued by Apna Bazaar. This is a major drawback for Apna Bazaar. AGEING SOCIETY Apna Bazar started after World War 2 when there was need of essential commodities at lower prices. But, after liberalization many super markets and hypermarkets have opened up due to which there is explosion of choices. Moreover, people today have the money to go for convenience shopping, and hence, the purpose for opening the co-operative is defeated.

OBSTACLES IN RECRUITMENT Apna Bazaar does not have the budget to recruit skilled staff. The employees are

not well educated and hence, they are not aware of the management practices. A qualified employee demands higher salary, which cannot be given by Apna Bazaar due to their constraints. Hence they cannot appoint a MBA a managerial job. NO ONLINE RETAILING Apna Bazaar does not have information about its products online. They should have their own website as it is very important in todays world. They could even learn about customer grievances by the feedback.

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Apna Bazaar PRICE FLUCTUATION Price Fluctuation is a major threat to Apna Bazaar. If the product is bought at a higher price is has to be sold at that price only so as not to incur losses. For example, the price of oil fluctuates a lot. So if the price for oil is Rs. 820 for a can when it is purchased, it will be sold at Rs 820 per can even if the price falls to Rs. 800 per can. In this case the oil available from other shops will be cheaper. OPPORTUNITIES BRAND BUILDING Apna Bazaar can take efforts to build its brand image. For this purpose, a marketing firm can he hired. This will attract more and more people to its outlets. Also, they have upgraded their outlets. This can be the base for attracting more customers as they will soon have all air conditioned stores.

EXPANSION Apna Bazaar can expand its outlets to other states. At present, they have

discovered interests from Madhya Pradesh and Delhi. The initiation is on the anvil. DEVELOPMENT IN SUBURBS People are now moving in the suburbs; infrastructure is developing due to which there is huge potential to attract more customers. RETAILING BOOM

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Apna Bazaar Retailing today is not only about selling at the shop, but also about surveying the market, offering choice and experience to consumers, competitive prices and retaining consumers as well. The establishment of supermarkets and convenience stores has been a great effort to communicate the advantages of organized retailing to customers. THREATS MALLS There are a large number of malls that offer discounts the discounts offered by them are as good as those offered by Apna Bazaar because the malls purchase in bulk and can hence afford to give heavy discounts to the customers. The customer has an explosion of choices and will prefer shopping at these big malls because of the ambience. They get the complete shopping experience at malls. Hence, malls are a major threat for Apna Bazaar.

COMPETITION FROM OTHER STORES IN TERMS OF-

CUSTOMER CENTRIC APPROACH Most other stores take feedback from the customers in form of grievances, opinions and suggestions. They can find out customer needs and ways to satisfy them. IMAGE Image of a private retailer is more modern and advanced compared to that of Apna Bazaar. The display is also more attractive in other super markets and hypermarkets compared to Apna Bazaar. 19

Apna Bazaar FUTURE PLANS: Apna Bazaar plans to open outlets in the new housing colonies coming up in the interior suburbs like Kandivli and Thane. Increasing the distribution reach is a strategy to counter competition the co-operative plans to increase its outlets from 86 at present to about 100 by next year. This would comprise department stores, super markets, franchisee outlets and medical stores, both in Maharashtra as well as rest of the country. Apart from that, it has money transfer facility under an arrangement with Western Union money transfer. On the tie-up with HPCL for having Apna Bazaar outlets at the petrol pumps, so far three HPCL pumps have Apna Bazaar outlets and the results are still being analyzed. Apna Bazaar Co-operative has embarked on a restructuring exercise and has appointed Darashaw and Company as strategic consultants. The restructuring involves exiting certain business while adding more services, to be provided under its umbrella. The restructuring plan involves exiting out of businesses like export of fish and grapes, milk processing, manufacturing bakery products like biscuits and also pickles papads and spices. Online booking for provisions through the Net and a centralized system to control inventory are also on the anvil. To begin with the co-operative plans to have a dedicated call center for customers to phone in their requirements, which would then be delivered from the nearest Apna Bazaar outlet. An online presence, on the lines of Sangam Direct-the online initiative of HLL-is under consideration. To ensure minimum inventory and maximum rotation, the co-operative is planning to centralize its supply chain management. It is talking to FMCG majors like Tata, 20

Apna Bazaar Nestle, HLL and P&G to ensure rotation without building up much inventory. While the super markets would be serviced directly by the companies, the requirements of franchisee outlets would be met by Apna Bazaar to ensure better co-ordination. Apna Bazaar operates the Akshay Labh Yojana scheme wherein the customers can deposit Rs. 10,000 at any point of time in the year and get items worth Rs. 100 per month free. They also have term deposit schemes. Apna Bazaar has also entered into an e-CRM tie-up with Venture Infotek, the einfrastructure solutions provider, whereby Venture Infotek provides the integrated end-to-end solutions, with the shared infrastructure and payment-as-you-use payment mechanism, without investment in infrastructure. The first thing on Apna Bazaars plans is to work on all 365 days like other big players. Upgrading the skills of their manpower and create vehicle parking facility are also in their agenda. They plan to have a tie-up with Citibank on co-branding. Regarding credit card, they are on the verge of signing a MoU with SBI. As visual merchandising, a new way for presenting the products will be introduced. The National Consumers Co-Operative Federation has approached Apna Bazaar and enquired about the possibility of running department stores under the brand name Apna Bazaar in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. Apna Bazaar is planning to open another outlet in Goa as they have got a good response from the supermarket. FUTURE VISIONS Vision is a bold word, one which lights the path to a future. Our vision is as follows 21

Apna Bazaar More Outlets We aim to reach out to each and every mandal (1,100 mandals) in the state irrespective of size and any other parameters. The same is done up to pass on the benefits to almost all the consumers in the state in a most sincere and befitting fashion. These outlets will be opened in 4 different formats small, midsize, large size and franchise operations. Going Global We aim to go global and the same has been taken considering the enormous leverage and power of NRIs all over the world. We plan to offer them a feast of service-oriented and organised retailing which enables them to savour the traditional Indian goods and items at cost-effective rates at a quality which is worthy and more than useful. We are proud to announce that we have attracted the attention of ETA (European Telugu Association) which has assured us its support in setting up APNA BAZAAR outlets in their places. Distribution (F2O - Farmer to Outlet Policy) We want to get rid of all middle men involved in order to gain the crucial margin advantage. Towards this end, we are going to reach out to the farmers creating an exclusive supply chain that will stretch right from the farmer to our stores. The main reason behind the same is to set up a single and biggest distribution outlet in the nation catering to the need of the retailing community as well. Brand Image We believe in the corporate philosophy policy, that is, an inclination towards taking our brand name closer to the people and make the same a household name. The same is being planned to be achieved through educating/enlightening what we are all about. DWCRA - Apna Bazaar Two revolutionary concepts, one Apna Bazaar and another DWCRA join hands together and make an irresistible and people friendly combination. Coming on one 22

Apna Bazaar platform, we offer a new concept which promises to change the way people buy products. We aim to take the concept to the peoples door step and make it a success. DWCRA is an organisation which is associated with the enlistment of the rural women and strives for their betterment, progress and prosperity. This it done by encouraging them to produce and manufacture products and help in selling them, thus allowing them to earn their living. It enables them to be self-sufficient and instills in them to stand on their own feet. To meet the exacting standards of cost-effectiveness and efficient service to consumers, we, Apna Bazaar and DWCRA come together to create DWCRA Apna Bazaar Super Market, a unique and interesting convergence that seeks to change the way people of Andhra Pradesh look at and buy products and then sample their utility value. The following are the goals of this unique concept: We aim to provide either in a direct and indirect manner employment opportunity to lakhs of rural women and help them to earn their living. We sell quality products at affordable prices to all the rural and urban consumers through our network of super markets. We sell the products prepared and manufactured by the DWCRA women at all the State, National and International outlets in the name of Apna Bazaar. We seek to help the consumers realise their rights and make them aware of the consumer production courts. We aim to, through DWCRA women associations, make the consumers in the rural areas to be aware of identification of the defects in the products, malpractices followed in measurements, duplicity of products and many more such devious methods through the consumer rights protection act. The participation of women in the consumer revolution results in the development of the state. 23

Apna Bazaar We aim to start our super markets at more than 1,100 mandals throughout the state and also with the cooperation of Telugu Associations, set up Apna Bazaar Super Markets in USA, England, Singapore, Switzerland, South Africa and Mauritius. Oars will be one of a kind and is sure to change the way shopping is done and enjoyed. We remain your steadfast ally in all things, shopping and beyond. We remain your constant partner on the road to good health, wealth and prosperity now and ahead.

RECOMMENDATIONS Government interference has had a major effect on the democratic setup of Apna Bazaar. Therefore, lesser dependence on government should be opted for. Government should help stores like Apna Bazaar with credit at cheaper interest rates.

Apna Bazaar should improve their capital assets by enrolling more members and also introduce more product varieties.

In the coming years, the economy will be dominated by the retailing sector. Times are changing, organizations are changing. Changing according to times is inevitable. Apna Bazaar has to change its traditional viewpoints. It should adopt new techniques and accept change wholeheartedly. Bringing qualitative changes in their skill and especially mindset will help it to survive competition.

Apna Bazaar can open one outlet offering all the products it sells in the 80 outlets so that people get all products offered by Apna Bazaar under one roof.

OTHER ACTIVITIES 24

Apna Bazaar Healthy child competition for member children. Ayurvedic camp conducted by apna bazaar every year in November. Consumer bulletins are printed and distributed to consumers, which gives them information about various products stored by them.

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