THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With educational institutions gearing up to reopen, the school market which has been on a standstill for nearly two years is hoping for a revival. According to traders, the market is yet to pick up as the schools are reopening during the middle of the academic year. The school market industry has suffered huge losses following the pandemic outbreak and subsequent lockdowns.
The footwear industry has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 90 crore in the past two years owing to the pandemic while the textile industry has incurred losses to the tune of Rs 500 crore. The state government has given the nod to reopen educational institutions from November 1. With only days ahead for the reopening, the traders are hoping for the market to pick up.
Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti general secretary S S Manoj said the market is showing signs of revival. “The market has been dead for nearly two years now. The traders’ community are reeling under a deep financial crisis as they couldn’t clear the stock they purchased before the pandemic,” said Manoj. He said many educational institutions are forcing the parents to buy school uniforms and other stationery and study-related materials from the school store. “This is adversely impacting the business of the traders. These schools are charging more for these products which are available at a reasonable rate in the market. This has to stop,” said Manoj.
The purchasing capacity of the parents has also come down as the pandemic is forcing them to live on a strict family budget. “I am buying only school uniforms for my child. Now only a few months are remaining for the academic year to end. We didn’t get any waiver on school fees too. We paid the same fee structure for the online class. The cost of living has also gone up after the pandemic,” said Suchithra, a parent.
Demand for footwear drops
According to Husain Kunnukara, state treasurer of Kerala Retail Footwear Association (KRFA) said the school market is yet to pick up. There are around 30,000 traders involved in the footwear business in the state. “We haven’t bought new stocks fearing loss. Business is not picking up as the schools are reopening during the middle of the academic year. Traders are struggling to manage their losses and keep the business alive,” said Husain Kunnukara. He said the traders couldn’t sell the older stocks yet. “The purchasing capacity of the people has also come down. People are not buying many fast-moving products especially leather shoes ranging from Rs 500 to Rs 1,200. They now prefer low-end shoes which cost below Rs 500,” he added.
Textile industry picks up slowly
The school uniform industry has slowly started picking up. As per estimates, the textile industry has incurred heavy losses approximately to the tune of Rs 500 crore in the past two years. There are around 18,000 traders in the textile business in the state.
State secretary of Textile Garment Dealers Welfare Association K Usman said parents have started coming out for shopping for their children. “Time restrictions are still there and as per the current norm, shops should down their shutters by 9 pm. The government should lift these restrictions so that we get more business,” said K Usman. “The textile industry is evolving as the fashion and designs change from time to time. We cannot sell the stock which we purchased in 2019 as the trend has changed,” he added. He added that the textile industry will suffer more as the Centre is gearing up to hike the GST from 5 per cent to 12 per cent from January 1, 2022.
“This will adversely impact traders and customers. The industry will suffer more once the GST is hiked,” said Usman. Vinod R Kurup, who runs a stationery shop at MG Road since 1991, said the market is yet to pick up.