Today, almost 90% of India’s consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands operate in fragmented channels. These channels depend on exclusive distributors: the brand’s sole authorized supplier to wholesalers and then retailers. The supply chain connecting the CPG brands and kiranas is a very long one. Kiranas, also called nanostores or mom-and-pop stores, are small, family-owned retail stores that serve the families in their neighborhood—sometimes as many as 500 families. Customers might run out to their local kirana to buy rice, cooking oil, or even soap.
