30 GCC returnees join hands to promote Dilmart fish & meat retail chain

Thirty NRIs from across Kerala who either lost their jobs or faced huge salary cuts due to the COVID-19 outbreak have come together and launched Dilmart, a chain of fish and meat retail chain in the State.

Without waiting for any government-initiated rehabilitation packages, the enterprise by these Gulf returnees who were working in either of the six Gulf Cooperation Council nations have already opened five stores in Kottakkal, Malappuram; Chalakudy, Thrissur; Thumbaman, Patthanamthitta; Kundara, Kollam and Varkala in Thiruvananthapuram.

Speaking on the initiative, Cyril Antony and Anil K Prasad, the founder directors of the company, said the company will open 10 more stores in three months and will take the total number of stores to 40 in one year. Through its e-commerce site www.dilmart.in, the chain has also started online order facilities for home deliveries in the in and around where they have already opened stores.

Considering the convenience of sourcing seafood, the headquarters and warehouse facilities of Dilmart is in Varapuzha, Kochi, but 30 of its promoters are from various parts of the State. To ensure fresh fish varieties in the shortest possible time at the store locations, the company has already made arrangements with trawlers based in the major fish landing centres in the State, including Munambam, Vypin, Thoppumpady, Neendakara, Vizhinjam and Puthiyappa.

In addition to these, Dilmart had also started farming of fish varieties like red snapper (chempalli), Asian seabass (kaalanji) and trevally (vatta) in Kottappuram, Thrissur which is being harvested now.

Anil K Prasad, the director who looks after administration and operations, said the company is being modeled after the famed Indian Coffee House, where shareholders also work, or rather they are the main workforce. Promoters who got work experience in various fields while they were in the Gulf have chosen related sections in Dilmart to work in.

For instance, three of the promoters who are experienced in the logistics sector in Qatar and UAE have taken up the responsibility of transportation at Dilmart while ex-chefs of three Bahrain hotels are busy working to launch ready-to-cook dishes and pickles, which are expected to hit the stands through Dilmart stores in a month’s time.

Dilmart stores are in the range of 500 to 1000 sq ft in size and each store will be staffed by at least one promoter who will also be on the company’s payroll. Stores will additionally generate employment to 2-3 youngsters in delivery and cleaning sections. From one store, the company is expecting to generate at least Rs.1 lakh worth of sales every day.

As they belong to different places in Kerala and also worked in various Gulf countries, the promoters of Dilmart did not know each other before they got together to promote their enterprise. Most of them came to know each other through common friends or social media. It all began with a Facebook post from Cyril Antony. Eight of the 30 promoters are still working in the Gulf and will join these returnees as and when there are requirements once the company grows.

Initially, Dilmart stores will sell only seafood varieties while meat items will be introduced in a month. In the second phase, the stores will also start stocking curry masala powders, vegetables and fruits.