Megastore for Monks

One would assume that monks, who have given up all material pursuits on earth, would not really throng to malls and shops. But looks like there is a market opportunity there too! According to the National Buddhism Office in Thailand, they had nearly 300,000 monks and more than 60,000 novice monks in 2012. In fact, of the 65.9 million people living in Thailand, 61.5 million of them are Buddhists practicing in the Theravada tradition. With such an enormous populating practicing Buddhism, one can assume that it wont be tough to find a shop selling all necessities under one roof, but surprisingly there aren’t many in Bangkok and Thailand.

In 2007, however, Mr.Sakol Sangmalee founded ‘Hang Sangkapan’; a monk megastore on the lines of Carrefour, Lotus and Makro. The megastore built on a quarter million of land is the largest Buddhist supply shop in the country and the store houses nearly one million items for sale.

While as always, the country has local, family owned shops that cater to the Buddhist clientele, as well, but fully air-conditioned, one-stop shop for Buddhist Monks- Hang Sangakapn has revolutionized the way monks shop. Maybe we have an opportunity in India too – a specialized shop for saints and sadhus?