A one-stop shop offering a wide array of Kudumbasree products will soon be launched under the banner of Kudumbasree Bazaar in Ernakulam.
Consultative meetings with select entrepreneurs working under the Kudumbasree Mission have begun and the agency hopes to start the first such store in the district within three months.
“Sixty per cent of the products in the supermarket will be taken from Kudumbasree entrepreneurs. We have identified two buildings for the project from which one will be short-listed,” said district mission coordinator Rajeena T.M.
The Kudumbasree bazaar in Ernakulam is part of the State-wide initiative of the agency to launch similar facilities in all districts this fiscal. The guidelines approved by the mission state that the supermarket should be spread across at least 1,500 sq.ft. It should function in the ground floor of a building, and be ideally located along the State or National Highway. The selection of products and entrepreneurs participating in the venture will be based on the popularity of the products. Ms. Rajeena said they had made an assessment of popular products from the feedback received from regular block and panchayat-level marketing fairs organised by Kudumbasree.
In Ernakulam alone, Kudumbasree has 4,004 micro enterprise units, accounting for a vast portfolio of products. Over 270 entrepreneurs had attended the preliminary meetings ahead of launching the venture. “We also plan to keep popular products made by Kudumbasree entrepreneurs outside the district at the bazaar,” said Ms. Rajeena.
The mission hopes that such supermarkets will provide a ready market for its entrepreneurs. It will also scale up the prospects of Kudumbasree, which has launched an online portal to market its products.
A consortium with representatives of entrepreneurs and Kudumbasree officials will be responsible for running the supermarket. It will have a management committee, which will be responsible for daily activities. It will collect 10% commission from entrepreneurs to manage the functioning of the supermarket.
