Most people prefer modern shops: poll
A survey shows 70 per cent of respondents prefer to shop at modern trade venues, which will speed up the death of traditional shops and further ignite the need for an amended Retail Business Act, says the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce.
It is expected that the Cabinet today will consider the draft Retail Business Act, which has been delayed for a month. The Act is being implemented chiefly to create a level playing field for all retailers, large or small, at the time that modern trade operators are taking advantage of their financial strengths and extensive networks. "The law is necessary to protect small retailers," Thanawat Polvichai, director of the university's Economic and Business Forecasting Centre, said. Backing up his comment was the survey, which covered 1,200 respondents. While 69.2 per cent said they preferred shopping at superstores, 16.6 per cent went to department stores, 12 per cent to convenience stores and only 2.2 per cent to traditional retail shops. Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont yesterday said that apart from the retail law, the Cabinet would also consider today whether to endorse the prospective Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement. The group FTA Watch has threatened to sue all who endorsed the trade pact, which they say would legitimise waste dumping in Thailand. Petchanet Pratruangkrai
The Nation
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