Global Retail Gain Wal-Mart has introduced Mera Kirana Programme in India
Under this programme, Wal-Mart creates zones in its Best Price Wholesale Stores that are designed to resemble a modern kiranas (mom-and-pop grocery store). It serves as a model for kirana store owners to replicate when it comes to assortment and placement. Wal-Mart also sends its teams out to Kirana stores in order to work directly with them.
These are helping retailers to modernise their stores with better utilization of infrastructure, which in turn helps to optimize space
and drive a better assortment of products.
Since Best Price Wholesale Stores require huge space (4 acres) and the process of getting approvals and performing due diligence for setting up stores is tedious (used to take four years, now takes 2.5), it is focusing on setting up more fulfilment centres for kiranas. These fulfilment centres are housed in warehouses operated by third-party logistics firms and they can start functioning within 60 days. With increasing scale and more such centres, the quality of service to GT is likely to improve in coming quarters.
