Small Retail Enterprises (SREs) and Their Role in Building Neighborhood Community in India

Abstract

In India, small retailers dominated the retail industry. In the past few decades, small retailers have been straggling for market share as there is seen a huge development in customer needs and change in life style of consumer drastically. At present when foreign investors are increasing day by day in modern retailing, local small retailers need to be more attentive in responding to present day competition and market changes if they want to maintain their existence in this change. Many researchers say that small retailers are declining in India as powerful retail giants (supermarkets, hypermarkets, etc) taking over the marketplace. But the report published by A T Kearney demonstrates that 92% of the retail industry is still controlled by small family-run business while only 8% of the market is captured by big retailers (Kearney 2012). This paper therefore, aims to discuss the small retailers and their role in building neighborhood community in India.