Shoe Retailer Calls India's Red Tape a "Nightmare"

The country's government isn't exactly easing the way to prosperity

Leading British shoemaker Pavers, one of the first retailers to be allowed to operate in India under new 100 percent foreign ownership rules, has called the nation's infamous red tape a "nightmare".

"Regulations are a nightmare for every retailer whether from outside India or the domestic retailer," Stuart Pavers, president of the family-owned firm, told India's Mint newspaper in an interview published on Friday.

Pavers' critical assessment of the challenging business conditions follow India's recent introduction of a string of reforms to open the economy wider to vital foreign investment and entice overseas businesses to set up shop.

In Britain the firm can deliver fresh stock nightly to each store, said the Pavers chief, but in India "it takes five to 10 days to deliver from the warehouse to the store" due to taxation and suffocating paperwork.