Kerala govt’s ‘floating supermarket’ a big hit

Web posted at: 6/28/2009 2:38:57
Source ::: The Peninsula. / By John Mary

Alappuzha: A newly launched floating supermarket is doing brisk business on the Kuttanad backwaters even as scores of houseboats, the mainstay of tourism industry, are idling for want business in Kerala’s southern Alappuzha district.

Floating Triveni (Supermarket), painted in red and white squares, looks like a giant duck, gliding along the lake but on board t are 2,000 items of stationery and provisions. Since its launch on June 7 by Cooperation Minister G Sudhakaran, the mall has been stopping by islands and spots inaccessible by road.

Triveni is open from 8 am to 6 pm, with eight crew on board.

Sudhakaran said the supermarket would cater to more than a million people in Kuttanad. Once this takes off, the mall will also deliver home appliances, for instance washing machine or fridge, for those who place the demand. The boat may also have a computer room, where children can play computer games.

“Homemakers queue up to pick items of choice and are simply thrilled. It’s a novel experience for all of us. The daily collection has been grossing at Rs 30,000. Now there’s no looking back”, says A K Anoop, the mall manager.

He said customers could ring up 9349404400 and book items in advance but it would take a few weeks to get everything streamlined.

Says homemaker Mini Babu, 32: “This is quite welcome. I’ll shop at the floating mall because of the ambience plus prices at a discount”, she said at the Triveni halt near Nedumudi Bridge.

The Kerala State Co-operative Consumers Federation Ltd (Consumerfed), the apex body of consumer cooperatives, which owns the Rs 50-lakh mall, sells provisions at less than market prices. Floating Triveni offers an additional discount of two percent to promote sales. It’s 3 per cent still less for Scheduled Castes and Tribe customers, who should produce ration cards for proof.

Consumerfed hit on the mall concept from the ubiquitous, slender canoes, ferrying men and materials along winding backwaters and canals of Kuttanad. Perhaps, Triveni’s only limitation is its size-16-metre-long and six-metre-wide.

Says Riji R Nair, managing director, Consumerfed: “Initially, when this idea was floated, there was some skepticism. But we were ready to experiment and told the builder that if he could build a platform that could float and remain intact, we would go for it. That’s how the mall on water was born”.

Thiruvananthapuram-based Floatels Hospitalities, promoted by electrical engineer, M R Narayanan, took three years to build the vessel. Unlike other boats made of either wood or steel, this fibre steel-laminated ferro-cement vessel is relatively maintenance-free. It runs on a 40-HP engine but its on-board operations like lighting up and computers are solar-powered. The toilet is eco-friendly.

Twenty people can transact business at a time. At the click of a button, the inventory and sales positions are accessible to Consumerfed officials.

The Cochin University of Science and Technology Architecture Department, which designed, has certified the safety, technology and strength of the vessel.

Considering the uniqueness of Triveni, Consumerfed has approached the Guinness Book of World Records for endorsement.

Triveni is already Consumerfed’s showpiece and the federation plans to replicate this model elsewhere in Kerala. The federation earned a net profit of Rs150m on a turnover of Rs7 bn last year. It has a network of 85 Triveni retail department stores catering to urban areas, 800 Neethi retail outlets in rural areas and 30 Neethi medical stores.

Triveni stores network will spread to all 140 Assembly segments soon.

THE PENINSULA