Sonsumerfed is planning to launch Triveni Institute of Retail Management (TIRMA) in Idukki district

Updated on: Monday, March 11, 2013

Seeking to strengthen its traditional and flourishing retail system, Kerala, which refuses to go the FDI way, will launch an institute for retail management under a government agency to meet the demand for manpower in the booming retail sector. The Kerala State Cooperatives Consumers’ Federation (Consumerfed), the apex body of the consumer cooperatives in the state which runs 3000 retail outlets, is planning to launch Triveni Institute of Retail Management (TIRMA) in Idukki district.

“TIRMA will provide a six-month certificate course and a diploma course of one year for 60 students. We have also plans to start MBA course in retail management at a later stage,” informed Joy Thomas, president, Consumerfed.

The institute is being constructed at a plot owned by the state electricity board at Cheruthoni. The students passing out from TIRMA will be assured jobs of supervisors and floor managers in Consumerfed’s retail outlets - totaling 3,000, a third of which function directly under the federation.

Consumerfed also plans to enter the field of medical education in Kerala. “In a bid to enhance the growth of its government-assisted chain of medical stores that are facing a dearth in the availability of pharmacists, the federation is setting up a college that would churn out chemists on a regular basis,” said Riji G Nair, managing director, Consumerfed.

As for training druggists, a Triveni Institute of Pharmacy will start functioning in Thrissur district from the next academic year. “To begin with, each batch will have 60 students doing DPharm. We will subsequently start four-year BPharm courses as well,” he said. “The institute will give placement to all the pass-outs, with reasonably good salary,” added Nair.

Consumerfed, which started the no-loss-no-profit Neethi Medical Stores in 1998 by selling medicines at discounted prices of 13 per cent to 40 per cent of the MRP, has currently 100 outlets functioning directly under it, besides 600 in the cooperative sector. “We are aiming at doubling the number of our stores to 200 by the end of the financial year. The target is to raise the overall number to 2,500 by 2017,” informed Nair.

Another college, Triveni Institute of Food Processing (TIFPRO), to provide vocational courses with emphasis on adding value to commodities like coconut, mango and jackfruit is also in the pipeline. “TIFPRO, which is set to open at Wadakkanchery in Thrissur district with central government aid, will start a six-month diploma course, next year. It will focus on providing self-employment where marketing of products like jam and pickle will be promoted through a well-knit chain involving self-help groups of women,” shared Nair. “All the three proposed institutes will have permanent teaching faculty, besides experts giving guest lectures,” added Nair.

Sonsumerfed is planning to launch Triveni Institute of Retail Management (TIRMA) in Idukki district

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