With malls and stores closed indefinitely across India, the retail industry has been highly affected. We are working on strategies to recreate demand and open stores once the lockdown is relaxed. Planning has always been a practice, and we have our business schedules planned months in advance. COVID-19 has impacted our existing plans. I had big steps lined up for our brand that are now being postponed. However, we are sure that we will be able to adapt to the new normal and make our positioning better. Making a To-Do list is an old habit.
As I interact with many stakeholders through the course of the day, a task-list comes handy in staying focused. This list also includes some of the domestic tasks, which I dare not forget. And although my work schedule takes away much of my time, I have found time to try my hands at cooking and participate in household chores. I also have the time for other hobbies like reading and watching the movies that I missed. As a family, we play indoor games.
We are following the health advisories and applying common sense to promote sanitisation and hygiene practices at home. We ensure we wash our hands with soap or use an alcohol-based hand rub, frequently and properly. We are practising social distancing with the elderly at home and ensuring that they don’t find the need to leave the house. The adults venture out only for essential chores. The hygiene and cleanliness activities inside the house have been made more thorough. As a result, anything that is brought home is first properly washed and sanitised, and only then put to use. No one in the family ventures out without a mask and a hand sanitiser.
I believe no situation is completely bad, and there is always a silver lining. While the lockdown proved vital in curbing the situation at hand, it severely impacted the supply side of the production and distribution of goods and services. However, it also has kept us safe and has given us a chance to re-connect with ourselves, our families and to re-look at our ways. So, I would say it has had both, a good and bad effect on me.I hope to take this opportunity to come back stronger.
Delhi NCR-based Deepak Bansal, Director, Cantabil Retail India Ltd, spoke to Angela Paljor