Response to the Co-optex “Weaves from Tamil Nadu” expo at centres outside the State where the handloom major has just a modest presence is overwhelming prompting more exhibitions, Co-optex Managing Director T.N. Venkatesh said here on Saturday.
While the first expo in Mysore fetched sales return of Rs. 21 lakh in five days, those held subsequently in Pune, Thiruvananthapuram, Secunderabad, and Bhopal were equally fruitful.
The ongoing exhibition at Kolhapur in Maharashtra has been received well especially by the youth, Mr. Venkatesh said. Co-optex has 11 zones of which three were outside the State.
Stating that Co-optex was on course to achieve its Pongal special sales target of Rs. 85 crore this year, Mr. Venkatesh said already Rs. 45 crore sales had been achieved throughout the State and with the festive season to peak in the next couple of days, Co-optex would overhaul the target comfortably, he said.
Stepping into its' 80th year, Co-optex is planning to open more retail outlets in newer areas even as it seeks to tap the uninitiated markets such as educational and industrial institutions where a captive market was waiting to be harnessed, Mr. Venkatesh said. With the opening of the three new retail outlets in Kottayam in Kerala, Indira Nagar in Bangalore, and Mulund in Mumbai recently, the number of retail outlets has touched the 200 mark, he added.
Under the Co-optex umbrella, there were 2.54 lakh weavers aligned with 1,161 weavers’ cooperative societies across the State, Mr. Venkatesh said.
Inspection
He inspected the sales at a couple of retail outlets here where he interacted with the customers on their preferences and requirements.
