The Tamil Nadu Handloom Weavers’ Cooperative Society, known as Co-optex, optex will soon have its branches in countries like Singapore and Thailand that host a sizeable number of Tamilians, according to state textiles and handlooms minister OS Manian. He was addressing a consumer meet organised by Co-optex under the Handloom Support Programme in Thanjavur. Manian had made the same announcement of opening Co-optex outlets in foreign countries while inaugurating a renovated Co-optex showroom in Trichy in June last year.

Manian urged domestic consumers, particularly women, to patronise the traditional attire to take the sales graph upwards, according to a report in a top Indian newspaper. Co-optex clocked a sales figure of Rs. 1.5 crore last year through online sales, said Co-optex managing director TN Venkatesh. The counter sales at the Thanjavur showroom had increased by 25 per cent after modernisation, he added.