To tap the vast potential in India’s fast growing retail sector, Reliance Communications is making its world-class retail outlet Reliance World available for an Executive Program for Retailing Management (EPRM) launched by the Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) in collaboration with the prestigious Philadelphia University, Pennsylvania, USA.

The EPRM is an eleven-month, 300-hour integrated course designed with the Philadelphia University.It covers subjects like Retail Store Management, Visual Merchandising, Merchandising Management,Category Management, Supply Chain Management, Customer Relations Management, and Theft Prevention. This program has been specifically designed to build the domain knowledge and managerial skills of executives in the retail industry.

BIMTECH and Philadelphia University will jointly deliver the course content through the Reliance World videoconferencing based virtual class room platform. The professors will visit India for contact sessions with the students, and will travel across the country to guide the program participants through on-the-job projects. NIS SPARTA will be marketing this program through its Corporate Connect and Retail Reach. As a testimony to the quality of the course, Reliance World will consider placing top ten students in its retail organization.

Commenting on the launch of EPRM, Mr. Sarup Chowdhary, Director and CEO of Reliance Webstores Ltd, said: “Considering that we are India’s largest retail chain of digital stores, we see great synergy. We are indeed delighted to be associated with BIMTECH and Philadelphia University in contributing to the retail revolution by building a robust skilled workforce.”

Dr. H. Chaturvedi, Director, BIMTECH, observed that “BIMTECH has always pioneered in understanding the industry requirements and working with all the stakeholders across the board. We have been working with the insurance industry for the past seven years, and we are certain to go a long way with the retail industry.”

Retail is the second largest employer in the world after the government. The retail industry is one of the fastest growing sectors in the Indian economy. Reports from Indian and global research and consultancy firms have recognized the growth and potential of the Indian retail market. Organized retail constitutes a mere 3.5% of the US$300 billion retail industry in India, thus offering a huge opportunity for retail management professionals.  

With the retail industry growing at such a fast pace, availability of skilled manpower is a serious concern. BIMTECH was the first business school in the country to recognize the immense potential by offering a full-time Master’s level program back in 2002 to prepare retail management professionals in India. This course at BIMTECH has been well dovetailed and accepted by the industry. Retail management professionals from BIMTECH have been hired by leading organizations like Shopper’s Stop, Piramyd Retail, Pantaloons, FoodWorld, Titan Industries, Essel Group, Tata - Trent, KSA Technopak, Madura Garments, Tommy Hilfiger, Trammell Crow Meghraj, Oxford University Press, Café Coffee Day, DLF, and PVR Cinema.

To cater to the needs of working executives in the burgeoning retail sector, and to cope with the high-volume requirement for trained retail managers, BIMTECH, in collaboration with key retail industry recruiters and the Philadelphia University, has designed the program for working executives in industries like FMCG, Petroleum, Food and Hospitality, Entertainment, Real Estate, Mall Management, or any other service industry in the retail sector.

Sourced From: Reliance Communications