Rajesh
Vig and Ritu Vig, promoters of the kidswear brand Happy Feet, spoke to
Fibre2Fashion about the fallout of the COVID-19 crisis.
In which specific areas are you facing major issues?
The summer season is totally disrupted as all orders are being held. Supply planning for April, May and June is not possible as the peak summer in north India is from March 15 to June 15.
What steps are you taking or have taken to face the challenges like order cancellation you have cited above?
The kids sandals that we make for northern India will have to be sold in the eastern or southern part. We also have some export orders for which we are communicating with our buyers for extension of dates.
How critical would be the anticipated loss or reduction of trained manpower on fronts like manufacturing, warehousing, supply chain etc. for your business? Such functions could be in-house or outsourced.
Getting fully trained or skilled staff will be a major challenge till July as they will go to their villages, preferring to stay with their families in these tough times.
Have you quantified your projected losses, the basic anticipated work loss, etc?
Yes, but there will be many more unseen obstacles once the lockdown ends.
Are there any thoughts within individual members, trade associations to come together and work cohesively so that losses can be minimised?
The major issue will be restarting the business, finding customers to manage sales, correcting cash flow and also ensuring that the vendor should be ready for supplies to be delivered on time. For all these to happen in the proper manner, a high level of communication is required among all members of the industry, especially between buyers and sellers, for orders, supplies and payments to encash just after or within 45 days of the lockdown ending.
By when are you expecting the revival process to commence?
We expect the revival process to start by the first week of September as festivals start.
Is your business entity expecting any specific measure from the government or its nodal departments?
We expect the government to provide funds at a very low rate of interest for small retail shops as well as retailers and manufacturers for salaries, rent and production.
A whole lot of enterprises have begun manufacturing of masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE) required in bulk today. Has any such step been taken by you?
We are planning to start production of mask and PPE kits as well as trading of sanitisers.
Published on: 12/05/2020
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
