Jan 23, 2017 08:01 PM
3637 Views
(Updated Jan 23, 2017 09:12 PM)
WHEN Reliance Fresh opened their branch in TVK nagar, Perambur, Chennai around 2008, I am the first person to buy products here for almost Rs. 1700 or so. Later days, since it is just few yards from my house, I made it a habit to visit here regularly, since I find the products are fresh really, right from vegetables, fruits to groceries etc will be in my basket. Not only had I, almost thousands of customers made it to this shop regularly. With middle and lower middle class being around, it is a new experience for them – self-service and shopping in a/c comfort! This they really enjoyed and made it a regular one irrespective of day and time. But, suddenly, one fine morning, around 2014 a top official’s from Reliance Fresh visited this shop and inspected it in all respects and finally, he recommended for closure of this branch since it’s not profitable in his views. Slowly, this shop shifted to Perambur - Melpatti Ponapean Street and still it is there, almost very far from this area. Only, after opening of Reliance fresh shop in our area - north of Chennai, people around this area, who are more accustomed to local kirana stores [nandar shop} buyers changed to buying from super stores and almost accepted this change gracefully and continued to support it wholeheartedly.
The mistake is not on the customers, who frequented it, but it is the management blunder for this abrupt closure. The main reason, this shop was opened in a sprawling areas of around 7000 sq.ft, so the management need to fill this vast space with unwanted items, not related or not of often used by the people around. Also, as I said, this super store experience is totally a new one for this area people, since most of them have a wrong notion that the prices will be higher, I cannot get in lower quantity, initial hesitation to enter this store etc, they took time come here… but once, they realized that all are not true and this stores for all class, they started visiting it often. But, when they are almost made it a regular visit for their requirements totally avoiding the local kirana stores, it was closed unceremoniously, which disappointed them a lot. Still, a quite number of people are enquiring about this shop though it is almost 3 years it was changed to Jio center, another wing of Reliance Group – Mukesh Ji group.
When, Reliance Fresh was started years back in Bharat, Mukesh Ji, said it is a service to the people, as desired by his father – Dhirubhai ji, and I don’t want to see profit in this venture and want to make our people to have the experience of a super store shopping. Being so, what is the need for closing this TVK Nagar branch abruptly? It is mainly because of bad planning by the local officials, who started this branch in a more spacious area, effective/aggressive sales personal at the initial time, bad shop managements etc. Had they started this branch in 3000 sq.ft area, certainly, it would have been a very profitable business for them or If they felt the branch area was more, then they would have cut down to half – 3, 500 sq.ft and other half would have made for this present JIO…WITH OUT these broad thinking, the local management closed this branch abruptly…! It is not a pride to open more and more branches in the South of Chennai – a naturally, affluent and well educated customers, it is more important to wider their branch in North of Chennai, where people here are also started to accept such changes in purchasing model…!
I wish the top officials at the Head Office, should open their branch once again here – TVK Nagar area and certainly, there will be 100% SUPPORT for this from the people around. Hope, they will take this suggestion positively and soon announce their branch opening in this area in 3, 500 areas again. So, that, we can also continue to experience the super store shopping…WILL THEY? THEY SHOULD! Anantharajan, Sembiam, Perambur, Chennai 11.
