The Hindu Business Line : Not much of China in these bazaars

An investigation made in the various Chinabazars that dot the city indicated that more than 80 per cent of the goods sold from these outlets were in no way connected with China. Perhaps, not surprisingly, nearly all of them are made in India.

The Chinabazar is a recent phenomenon which has captured the imagination of both retailer and consumer. The bazaars are sprawling, temporary shops selling all sorts of householdware, electronic toys, gizmos, batteries and electrical bulbs. The items are usually sold at Rs 60-65. The outlets are run for six to eight months in one location after which they shift to another.

At present, Kolkata has almost a dozen such outlets. Several other cities in the country also have similar bazaars.

Most goods sold in these outlets have no price tags, manufacturer's name or date of production. In fact, there is not a single bit of information that is otherwise mandatory for a retailer to disclose under the laws of the land.

Trading circles say the items are mostly export-rejects. They are purchased in bulk and then sold with the `Made in China' tag from these outlets. As the activity is highly decentralised, the total trade volume of these bazaars could not be ascertained.

Mr Pritimoy Chakraborty, Director of the seven-year-old Zenith Finesse Pvt Ltd which imports Chinese items mainly for distribution as corporate gifts, says: "I have visited these Chinabazars and, believe me, I don't find many China-made stuff. They are simply cheap Indian goods."

Talking to Business Line, he said porcelain household items were made mostly at Firozabad and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. The plastic items on sale generally came from Maharashtra and Gujarat. However, he conceded that some plastic items, such as toys, batteries, electronic and electrical goods, "certainly came from China". The trade sources said some of these plastic items were produced by a host of small-scale downstream units of Haldia Petrochemicals.

Another interesting point was the huge crowds at these outlets. Mrs Leema Ghosh, a compulsive buyer and regular visitor to the Chinabazars, said she did not mind where the stuff was produced as long as they were "cheap and durable."

Incidentally, according to trade sources and a cross-section of consumers, the quality of China-made batteries, electronic and electrical materials was up to the mark, generally speaking.

In a recent conversation with Business Line, Mr Deepak Khaitan, MD of Eveready Industries India, had said Chinese batteries or torches were bought just once; there were no second-time buyers.

However, most marketing experts feel words such as `Chinese' or `Made in China' have somehow emerged as a strong brandname at the lower end of the retail market. The brand has become synonymous with economically-priced goods.

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