Kotak said that the protection for domestic players in the domestic market is “very dangerous” from a long-term competitiveness perspective
Mumbai: Financial services industry veteran Uday Kotak on Thursday said the successful quick commerce trade poses a challenge to retailers and will become a political issue.
Speaking at an event, Kotak also pitched for Indian businesses becoming more competitive in a “free and fair trade”.
“Q-commerce has a challenge to the local retailer and it is a challenge which will come to the political front,” he said in comments that come a day after the listing of Swiggy, a prominent name in the Q-commerce side.
The founder and non-executive director of private sector lender Kotak Mahindra Bank said India is a unique country in the world where quick service retail has succeeded, unlike in most other parts of the world where this model has not been as effective.
This is a positive sign, where Indian innovation is working on the ground and some of this value creation is indeed real and sustainable, he said.
However, India is yet to deliver consumer brands like Apple, Meta, Unilever etc which are a key feature in any developed country or region, Kotak said, exhorting Indian businesses to focus on product and creativity.
Kotak also said that the protection for domestic players in the domestic market is “very dangerous” from a long-term competitiveness perspective.
“I’d love to see Indian business being competitive in free and fair trade. We should move in the direction of open trade rather than protecting domestic business,” he said.