All about PGDM programme in Retail Managemnt at WeSchool, Mumbai

PGDM programme in Retail Management at WeSchool Mumbai - Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai is a two-year full-time management programme approved by AICTE. It is a business management programme with a difference for students who wish to define the retail space of tomorrow. World over, retail is a dynamic sector and the Indian retail sector ranks 4th in the world in terms of size. It accounts for 10 per cent of India’s GDP and contributes 8 per cent to overall employment. The market size is expected to touch US$ 1.75 trillion by 2026, from approx US$ 0.79 Trillion in 2017.

The key distinguishing feature of this two-year PGDM programme is the unique blend of general management and retail management subjects

The key distinguishing feature of this two-year PGDM programme is the unique blend of general management and retail management subjects. The first year orients the students in core areas of retail, general management and various functional domains.  In the second year, the student has the flexibility to choose a specialisation either in Marketing, Operations, Finance or Human Resources. The learning process involves advanced training in theory and applications, field visits, live industry projects, workshops, participation in industry events and competitions, interactive guest sessions from key industry professionals and more. Details of some of the initiatives are given below:

• Weyapaar, the Retail Club at WeSchool was initiated and is organised by the PGDM programme – Retail Management students. It is a platform that enables knowledge sharing and idea creation. It gives the students exposure to the industry through interactive sessions with senior experts from the industry. It helps the students gain an understanding of contemporary retail topics.
• Retail Immersion is aimed at enabling a hands-on practical exposure to various dimensions and functional areas of retail. Over the academic year, multiple such immersions are a part of the student’s learning experience. This includes store visits, warehouse visits, visual merchandising activity, etc.
• Throughout the year students have an opportunity to attend various conferences and seminars hosted by various industry bodies including the Retailers Association of India. Conferences like the Retail Leadership Summit, Retail Technology Conclave and others enable the students to learn from industry experts.
• As a part of the Retail Selling Skills Workshop, students undergo practical training on the shop floor to understand the function of selling in a retail environment. They are exposed to interacting with customers and doing actual sales on the shop floor.
• The Retail Mock Shop is designed to impart experiential learning to the students. On the basis of a pre-finalised theme, students actually set up a mock store in the college campus. This gives them practical exposure to the key retail aspects such as layout design, merchandise planning, pricing, inventory management, visual merchandising, sales & operation.
• Retail Times is a fortnightly e-Newsletter, led by the students, which aims to share leading news about retail across the globe with the students.

The PGDM programme further provides 360-degree career support and personalised student support which facilitates them to carve their own space in the highly competitive industry. Assessment Centre and Development Centre (ACDC) is an initiative taken towards achieving this objective. Assessment Centre (AC) is a method for assessing the aptitude and performance of students using various aptitude diagnostic processes. It helps students identify their key strengths and areas of development. This is subsequently followed by an engaging and enriching Development Center (DC) wherein through different activities, students are groomed to enable them to be industry-ready.

The blend of a dynamic curriculum that integrates theory and the practical application grooms the students to be placed across sectors. The placements in various sectors include:

• Retail & FMCG (Reliance Retail, Welspun Group, Nestle India Limited, Bisleri)
• Services (Accenture, Axis Bank, ICICI Prudential)
• Technology (Infosys, Wipro Technologies, Cognizant Technology Solution)
• Manufacturing (West Coast Group, KGK)

The summer internship also spans across various verticals such as Retail (Welspun, Puma), FMCG (Nestle, Dabur), IT & ITES (Capgemini, TCS DISQ), Financial Services (SEBI, IIFL), Logistics (DHL), Telecom (Airtel).

The Retail PGDM programmes transformational cross-disciplinary learning helps nurture students into competent future managers with leadership abilities and an innovative mindset enabling them to be industry-ready and grow in the corporate world.

Note: The views expressed in this article are that of the institute (WeSchool Mumbai - Welingkar Institute of Management) and do not reflect/represent those of Shiksha