‘We are not interested in M&As’

One of the country’s best-known retailers, Trent, which runs chains such as Westside and Zudio, has faced consistent investor pressure in recent quarters, as topline growth rates slow amid a competitive landscape.

- PVENKATESALU, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRENT

Speaking at the sidelines of the Retail Leadership Summit in Mumbai on Monday, Trent’s managing director PVenkatesalu tells Viveat Susan Pinto about the demand trends and growth prospects of the company. Excerpts:

Are you seeing tailwinds from the GST cuts flowing into fashion and lifestyle products?

We haven’t seen it yet. But we hope to see it happen in the future as consumers turn their attention to small discretionary items. Why I am saying this is that because sectors that immediately saw a bump-up in sales were big-ticket discretionary items such as electronics and auto. This took away the focus from small-ticket discretionary items. To your question, small-ticket discretionary items will benefit in the medium term from GST cuts. The direction of GST is completely in the interest of consumers in terms of the changes that have happened. I do see that helping consumption gradually in the months and quarters ahead.