Co-optex looking beyond Indian shores

Tamil Nadu state owned Co-Optex plans to spread its

wings beyond Indian shores. It will soon start its showrooms at Singapore and Malaysia. Speaking at a function here last night, Handloom and Textile Minister Dr S Sundararaj said the the state government had granted Rs 350 crores to the Handloom Department for the production of free saris and dhotis and another Rs 150 crores for the production of uniform cloths to be given free to the students. He said at present they were having 131 showrooms including 67 in other states. Within India, it plans to open new stores in Jaipur and Lucknow this year -- a move that will help Tamil Nadu handloom weavers attract customers in North India. The textile outlet, backed by the Government of Tamil Nadu, early this year inaugurated a modern showroom in Bangalore. Besides, two new stores were opened -- one each in Bangalore and Mumbai.

Similarly, showrooms will be opened at Indira Market in Jaipur, Hazrat Ganj in Lucknow and Nampalli at Hyderabad, besides in Erode,Tirupur and Chennai, a government release said. The opening of showrooms is in line with the objective of consolidating existing business to attract younger audience, it said.

The Tamilnadu Handloom Weavers' Co-operative Society, popularly called as Co-optex, established in 1935, has a long and rich tradition in handlooms and history that dates back over 76 years, even before Indian Independence. The multi-hued Butterfly symbol is today synonymous with quality, durability and fair trade.