Major local wholesalers and traditional traders have vowed to lend support to 5,000 small traditional shops as they confront a lifestyle trend in which customers increasingly turn to big modern trade retailers.
Commerce Ministry permanent secretary Wiboonlasana Ruamraksa said the ministry has launched a project pooling the wisdom of major local traders who will coach small retail shops nationwide on how to survive.
A total of 132 wholesalers and small retail shops have joined the scheme, to be launched by the Department of Business Development across the country.
According to the plan, big wholesalers and major retailers will help improve the image of small, old-fashioned traditional traders by turning them into outlets that are clean and convenient, to attract more consumers and increase sales.
Increasing the sales volume of small retail shops, locally known as show huay, could also boost the local economy, said Ms Wiboonlasana.
Small stores would also help expand the capacity of the Thong Fah Pracha Rat project, the Commerce Ministry's flagship venture to help distribute cheaper consumption goods and food to locals at discounted prices.
It will also help strengthen the government's One Tambon, One Product (Otop) project, as local, smaller shops could help distribute more Otop products to consumers, she said.
Wholesale and Retail Association president Somchai Pornrattanacharoen said there are more than 400,000 shops nationwide that are struggling to survive, with many consumers choosing to buy products from giant foreign outlets with huge supply chains.
However, he said he still believed small retailers can survive if they adapt their management and operating methods to keep up with trends.