Having Firmly Established Itself Post Flipkart Deal, Walmart Set To Boost Its Kirana Store Business In India

Walmart India is planning to give its kirana store programme, called Mera Kirana, a major boost, reports Mint newspaper. The programme helps small family-owned grocery stores scale up infrastructure.

The Mera Kirana project has been piloted by Walmart India over the past four years and is looking at mainstreaming the idea, according to a top executive. Also on the anvil is a warehouse in Lucknow over the next month.

The company, which works along with kirana stores, is witnessing double-digit growth in its membership base year-on-year, says Rajneesh Kumar, chief corporate affairs officer of Walmart India.

Seventy per cent of the firm’s 1 million active customer base are small mom-and-pop stores, but many of them have not yet embraced technology. Organised wholesalers such as Walmart and Metro Cash and Carry work with small retailers to digitise their business.

Earlier, in May 2018, Walmart bought a 77 per cent stake in Flipkart for $16 billion.