Looking for leverage

When it was announced that a delegation of about 45 Indian businessmen and women were coming to TT to showcase their goods at an exhibition at the Divali Nagar, it raised the hackles of the Indian Importers Association of TT. Such a mission, said the local shop owners, comprised of about 25 Indian shops (which include Preetanjali’s, Maharaja and Miss India) would  compete with them and place them at a disadvantage. Many of the Indian businessmen were optimistic that they would have several partnerships with many local businesses, which, they say, are interested in retailing their goods. The 40-member Indian trade mission, which arrived in TT on September 5 and left on Monday, were  retailing a diverse range of goods,  including costume jewelry, ethnic wear, furniture, kitchenware, musical and religious items among other things. But members of the trade mission were not bothered or even threatened by the local businessmen.

Veena Bajaj, owner of Eternity Inc, a company which specialises in handcrafted ethnic garments and leather goods in New Delhi, said she is not at all threatened by the local businessmen. She said she was just here to survey the local market and see what prospects were available to her.
“We always travel to different countries around the world, but this is really my first visit to TT and I am quite pleased with what I saw.” Bajaj said TT has a very “flourishing market” and thinks that see can make a “good name” here for herself. “I am really here to introduce myself to the market. I think that I can get a good name here.” Eternity Inc is one of the leading clothing stores in India. Baja said she designs the clothes herself and has her own factory where the garments are made by hand.  She noted that she has stores and partnerships around the world and also supplies all the leading ethnic clothing stores in India and other countries. She also supplies all the five star hotels in India with clothing. Baja said she knows that there are many local stores which sell Indian ethnic clothing, but she is of the view that these garments are not good quality. “The garments that people are selling here is not up to mark. They are not quality goods. People here are being charged high prices for these goods.”
 
She said she has visited a number of stores in TT which sell Indian ethnic wear but noted that none of them can compete with the quality of her products. She said people have expressed an interest in forming a partnership with her to supply their stores here in TT. “Many people have approached me to supply their stores,” she said, noting that she had lots of orders. Another businessman from Delhi, SS Ghanshani, said the response to his products has been good. His company, Mercury Impex Enterprise, specialises in brass handicrafts, sequined dresses, costume jewelry, wooden furniture and other furnishings. This is Ghanshani’s second visit to TT and he believes that there are many opportunities for him in TT. He said many people have visited his booth and have proposed joint venture partnerships with him. “I have never seen these kinds of products here in TT and maybe this is why there is such an interest in the products. I think that there is a strong market here for my goods.”

Partners Lalit Malhotra and Arya Bhatt, who own and operate Royal Exports and Rinku Enterprises respectively, a company that  manufactures and supplies general merchandise, handicrafts and textiles, said there is a  big demand for Indian products here. “This is our first visit here and we like this market and the people.” Malhotra said most of the items they brought from India had been sold. He said they have also received enquires to export to TT. “Lots of people like our furniture and they say even though they have seen furniture like this here, ours is much cheaper and of better quality.” Malhotra boasted that people could buy handcrafted furniture from them from as low as $100. Himanshu Trivedi from Bombay came to TT with a wide variety of kitchenware, which he claims can only be found in India. The kitchenware, he said, which comprises of pots and pans, have a copper base which heats very fast and uses less gas. Additionally, he noted these items are easy to clean.

Trivedi said his company, Try Steel Overseas, has done business in many parts of the world including South Africa, Durban, Mauritius and Sri Lanka among others. “Even though this is a small market it is full of potential,” he said, noting that he too wanted to set up good trading links.
Vinod Kumar Gupta of Shivam Int India complained that while sales have been good, the hall where they were housed was not comfortable and fit for doing business. Even so, Gupta said he is very interested in doing business in TT. “I can have good business here. I have been in business in India for over 15 years and I want to do business in a country like this.” Manish Jain of Vardhman Exports said he came to TT to boost  sales. “I have never traded here before, but I like the business prospects.” Indian High Commissioner to TT, Virendra Gupta said he was pleased with the response to the trade mission.

He said the trade fair is being held in an effort to facilitate the expansion of economic and commercial linkages between India and TT. Gupta said the presence of approximately 40 Indian businessmen during the fair provided the local business community with an opportunity to establish enduring business connections for the mutual benefit of the two countries. “India has emerged as a reliable supplier of quality goods at highly competitive prices and people here would be able to experience it first hand at the trade fair.” Gupta said he was confident that this trade fair, like other promotional events, will result in net increase in demand for Indian products in this country. The trade mission was organised by the international Association of Mother India Clubs and Festival of India Committee (TT), in association with the National Council of Indian Culture and the Indian High Commission.