Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) has opened its new retail outlet in Visakhapatnam International Airport on Friday.
With an area of 120 sq ft allotted by Airports Authority of India, it is the first Khadi store set up in an Indian airport. Positioned at the arrivals wing of the airport, this is the fourth city-based certified outlet taken up at a cost of Rs.50 lakh.
Travellers can now browse through a wide range of khadi products sourced from various parts of the country. Given the fact that the popularity of Khadi has substantially gone up for the last couple of years, KVIC has been focusing on tapping the market potential largely in Tier II cities. “There is one more outlet coming up in the city shortly. This apart we have plans to set up a new outlet in Hyderabad and in six other airports including New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The focus is not on increasing the sales volume alone but to improve the livelihood of artisans and weavers,” Chairman of KVIC Vinai Kumar Saxena said after inaugurating the store. In a step towards encouraging young spinners and weavers, KVIC also intends to increase the production volume and wages.
To increase its reach, KVIC also plans to tap the ecommerce channel in the Indian market. “Recently, eminent fashion designer Ritu Beri has been appointed adviser of KVIC. She will soon be launching a collection of contemporary designs to suit the current market trends. Of the 7,036 outlets across India, 1,000 old stores will be renovated at a cost of Rs.50 crore. A total of 14 franchisees have been appointed in the country so far,” said Mr. Saxena.
