For the Tamilnadu Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society (Co-optex) and Tamilnadu Handicrafts Development Corporation (Poompuhar) here, apart from the regular counter sales, one area of growing business is bulk orders and customised products.
For instance, at Co-optex, nearly 20 % of the revenue in the region comes from bulk sales. This includes purchase by Government departments, educational institutions, and private firms. One of the private schools in Coimbatore purchases 1,500 pieces of bed spreads every year, says R. Natarajan, the regional manager of Co-optex.
“Total sales in the region last year were for ₹35 crore and this year, we are targetting ₹45 crore. Of this, nearly 20 % comes from bulk sales,” he says.
There are some Government departments that buy uniform material, some buy dhoties for distribution during Pongal, sarees during Onam. Apart from there are many who go to the Co-optex outlets and purchase 10 pieces or more of a specific product which goes as regular sales, he says.
At Poompuhar, there was one bulk order for ₹46 lakh the year before last for a wedding and one last year for ₹26 lakh to a temple. However, for every 10 sales at the outlet, at least one is customised order. “There is no minimum value for customisation.
Customers ask for a replica of a temple idol on Thanjavur painting, lamps with specific designs, logo engraving on brass products. We try to cater to most of these, provided there is enough time to meet the orders,” says R. Narendra Bose, the outlet manager. The advantage at Poompuhar is products can be customised at the production centres and required quantity can be sourced even at short notice. Many customers come to the outlet because of this.
Further, for some of the buyers it is an opportunity to support the artisans when they place bulk orders, he says.
