Not for quotation or ISSN 0265 9778

citation without the express

permission of the authors

Research Paper 2010/01

The old world of “Kirana shops” Vs new world of

glitzy retailing ; a case study in an emerging market –
The Indian context

Dr. S. Ramesh Kumar

Professor of Marketing - Marketing Area
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore ( IIMB)
Bannerghatta road, Bangalore – 560076
India
Phone: +91-80- 26993184
Email: rkumar@iimb.ernet.in
&
Ms. Radhika Vishvas
Academic Intern – Marketing Area
(also pursuing Ph.D. at Kuvempu University, P.G. Center, Davanagere, India)
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore ( IIMB)
Bannerghatta road, Bangalore – 560076
India
Phone: +91-80-26993342
Email: radhikav@iimb.ernet.in

Disclaimer
The opinions expressed in this research paper are the responsibility of the authors alone.
The authors would like to thank Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Bangalore, India for
sponsoring this case study as a part of the institute’s case development / research initiative.
The old world of “Kirana shops” Vs new world of glitzy retailing; a case
study in an emerging market – The Indian context

India

The demographics of India are remarkably diverse. India is the second most populous
country in the world with a population of approximately 1.17 billion people1&2, which is
almost one-sixth of the world's population. There are 638,596 villages (a unit of
classification made for the rural areas by Census India, 2001 with a population of less
than 3500) in the country that has 72.2 percent of the country’s population residing and
predominantly employed in the agricultural activities3.

Changing economic developments coupled with the changing demographics (population

migration from rural to urban areas) have lead to a noticeable change in the rural and
urban classification in the country. According to The Registrar General and Census
Commissioner of India, the term urban agglomeration is used to describe cities, which
could range from metropolitan areas (cities with a population of over one million – there
are 26 such cities), to cities (population of over 100,000 – about 300 such cities exist), to
towns (less than population of 100,000, numbering over 3,500 such towns). A
megalopolis is used to describe a metropolitan area with a population exceeding 10
million; in India, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are megapolises. A metropolis in India
means a city with a population exceeding four million – which besides the three
megalopolises include Bangalore and Chennai 4.

India’s demographic profile is one of its major strengths. The 15-64 years age group
make up for 63.6 percent of its population and it has an adolescent population (age group
below years) of 31 percent. It has 91.3 million households earning between US $ 1,969 to
US $ 4,3765. According National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER),
10.7 million households with an annual income of up to $23,000 reside in the smaller
cities. The current small town boom also reflects India’s free market prosperity, powered
by a healthy economic growth of 9.6 per cent for fiscal 2006-07. Increasing disposable

1
income across the country has fuelled the purchasing power of Indian consumers. The
Indian spending trends has already taken India’s consumption to around $428.69 billion
(in 2005), and it is expected to touch $ 1.76 trillion in 20256.

Indian Retailing Scenario

A historical perspective
Retailing is not a new chapter in the business history of India. The existence of trade and
commerce in India could be traced way back to history of beginning of India with the
birth of Indus Valley Civilization, one of the largest among the four ancient urban
civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India and China. The ancient cities Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro were traced trading cereals, vegetables, fruits, eggs, mutton, pork,
potteries, cotton and woolen clothes, baked bricks, weapons for wars etc., 7. India’s
ancient scriptures called Vedas considered trading activity to be the pillars of the society8.
The Indian grocers (traders) were perhaps among the earliest in the world to acquire
professional retailing skills9.

Following are some of the major traditional retail formats prevailing in the country:

• Fairs: Fairs are annually conducted markets at one place on a specific auspicious
day of the year. Fairs attract thousands of people from close-by geographical
areas. The retailers participating in such fairs merchandize goods such as clothes,
ornaments, spices, toys, sweets and other eatables (ready to eat), fruits,
vegetables, and even live stocks (cattle, camels, goats etc.) etc.,
• Shandies: Shandies are the regularly organized weekly markets that used to be
held on a particular day of the week. The retailers and farmers with their
goods/produces sell their offerings throughout the day. The pricing is not fixed
and bargaining is quite common.
• Village shopkeepers: They are the individual merchants who go about selling
textiles, spices, ornamental items on a door to door basis. Such practices are
prevalent in villages and semi-urban areas.
• Public Distribution Shops (PDS): These shops are Government run chain of
stores started under the Government’s economic policy for ensuring availability
2
 of food grains (such as wheat, rice), sugar and kerosene (a form of fuel) etc., to
the public at affordable prices as well as for enhancing the food security for the
10
poor (456 million or about 42 percent of the population earn about $1.25 per
11
day ).

Growth of retailing

India at the time of independence in 1947 was in the clutches of a vicious circle of
poverty- characterized by very low per capita consumption and having one of the lowest
income levels in the world. Retailing was focused more on the basic necessities rather
than luxury12. In the fifties, there were only 0.25 million retail outlets in India 9. Even in
the early 1960s, it was reported that “there is not a single supermarket in all of India 13. It
was for the first time in the Indian retailing history, a modern retail format of self service
store Nilgiris was setup in 197114. In 1978 the country had just 2.335 million retail
outlets stocking FMCGs, or 3.7 shops per 1000 persons. In 1997, the total number of
shops, at 5.13 million, translated into 5.55 shops per 1000 customers. In 2005 the retail
density was 10.51 shops per 1000 consumers15. There has been about a tenfold increase
in the retailing density as a result of liberalization of the economy.

Kirana Stores are somewhat comparable to “Mom and Pop” shops of the west. But given
the diversity of the Indian market, it may be difficult to carry a definition that will convey
a degree of standardization. A Kirana store can normally a range from 25 to 400 Square
feet with a range of product categories associated with the daily requirements of masses.
These categories include branded or unbranded offerings like coffee, tea, biscuits, toffees,
shampoos, soaps, hair-oils, grocery and edible oil (to name few categories) in addition to
small quantities of rice and wheat. Some Kirana stores may also carry a few vegetables
and fruits. Most of the millions of Kirana shops cater to mass market and hence carry
offerings that have limited stock keeping units (SKUs) and low priced SKUs are popular
among Kirana shops. Several of the Kirana shops also carry unbranded offerings that
may be priced 20-30% lower than branded offerings but may have quality that is inferior
to branded offerings (biscuits, edible oil, rice and washing powder are a few examples).
Kirana shops predominantly deal with food and grocery merchandize . According to
3
KPMG, the food and grocery market in India was valued at US $ 236 billion in 2008. The
food and grocery segment contributes about 60 per cent of the retail sales in India and
comprises mostly of the unorganized sector 16.

17
The Indian retailing industry is dominated by the Kirana stores and this unorganized
(as differently treated from modern retail format) retail trade has created nearly 39.5
million (nearly 9.2 % of country’s population) employment opportunities in the country
18
. More than 80 percent of the retail outlets are run and managed by individual and
12
family members . Their very existence in the local neighbourhoods by itself acts as a
competitive advantage for the Kirana shops. In contrast modern retail outlets are not
present in every locality of a large city. India has about 15 million retail outlets 19.

In several non-urban markets of the country, the retailer has informal interactions with
consumers and can even influence purchase/brand decisions. This aspect of Indian
retailing culture has significant implications on the consumer’s perceptions of modern
retailing versus Kirana shops.

Modern retailing formats – the present context

In India, retail trade is primarily divided into two segments and they can be defined as
follows21

Modern/Organized retailing: Any retail outlet chain (and not a one shop
outlet/standalone) that is professionally managed, has accounting transparency (with
proper usage of MIS and accounting standards) and organized supply chain management
with centralized quality control and sourcing can be termed as organized retailing in
India.

Unorganized retailing: Any retail outlet that is run locally by one owner or the caretaker
of the shop. Such outlets generally lack technical and accounting standardization. Kirana
shops are categorized under unorganized retailing.

4
The (organized) modern retailing in the country is expected to touch $30 billion by 2010
from the current $14 billion22.

Following are some of the modern retail formats prominent in the country:

Hypermarkets: These are large (20,000 Square feet plus) self-service stores selling a
variety of products at discounted prices. Giant at Hyderabad (in the state of Andhra
Pradesh) is an example of this format.

Supermarkets: These stores are located in key residential markets and malls. Some of
the chains in this format are Foodworld, Nilgiris, Subhiksha, and Big Bazaar. Indian
super markets are smaller than those in other countries, with sizes that are at least a fifth
of a global chain’s selling area (3,000 – 4,000 Square Feet. versus 20,000-25,000 Square
Feet).

Department Stores: These stores primarily sell non-food items such as apparel, footwear
and household products. They stock multiple brands across product categories though
some of them focus on their own store labels (e.g. Marks & Spencer’s St. Michael and
Shoppers’ Stop’s Stop brands). Department stores are found on high streets and as anchor
shops of shopping malls. Several department store chains have opened up in India such as
Shoppers’ Stop, Westside, and Ebony.

Discount Store: It is a general merchandize retailer that offers a wide variety of

merchandize with limited service and low prices. Margin-free shops operate in this
format in India.

Wholesale Cash-and-Carry: The wholesale cash-and-carry operation is defined as any

trading outlet where goods are sold at the wholesale rate for retailers and business to buy.
The transactions are only for business purposes and not for personal consumption as in
the case of retailing. Metro Cash & Carry GmbH of Germany has entered India in this
format.

5
Factory Outlets: These are outlets run by the manufacturers themselves or by their
franchisees known as factory outlets. These outlets are small, normally located on
outskirts of towns where realty is cheaper or near their own factories. Brands are sold at
a slightly cheaper rate than in a normal store. The merchandize consists of mainly
assorted lots of styles that could be production overruns, quality rejects, returned
merchandize, slow moving styles or bygone fads. International brands such as Adidas,
Nike, Reebok and domestic brands such as Woodland, Globus, Welspun, Louis Philippe
and Allen Solly are brands that have factory outlets.

The organized sector commands just three to five percent of the total retail industry, and
is valued at about $300 billion; this is expected to grow to $427 billion in 2010 and $637
billion in 201523.

6
Indian consumer’s shopping habits- some aspects that are
linked to retailing
 Most consumers shop daily
 Most consumers cook everyday without using Microwave or storing
in refrigerators.
 Most consumers would like to touch and feel the product before
buying it.
 Most consumers are highly price sensitive when it comes to fast
moving consumer goods (FMCG).
 Most families have a budget for spending on basic necessities. Given
the diversity of income flows, it may be a daily/weekly/monthly
budget.
 Most consumers may alternate between branded and unbranded
offering in several categories.
 It’s not uncommon to find small Kirana shop owners providing
monthly credit to their consumers. Such a facility with regard to
modern retailing may be possible only with consumers using credit
cards. Credit card penetration in the country is dismally low.
 Even in geographical areas where modern retailing exists, consumers
normally mix their purchases between modern retailing formats and
Kirana shops in neighbourhoods.

7
Some photographs of Indian traditional and modern retailing

Frontage of a Kirana Store Frontage of a modern retail outlet

Merchandize display at a Kirana Store Merchandize display in a modern retail

outlet

8
The owner / shop keeper of the Kirana store interacts / transacts business with the
consumer without the consumer being allowed inside the store.

9
Kirana shops Vs modern retail outlets – focus of the case

This study attempts to provide conceptual insights into the comparison between the
shoppers in a modern retail outlet and a Kirana type of outlet. The objective of the study
is to highlight the importance of analyzing the retail strategies of Kirana type of outlets.
Incidentally, such a perspective will also be useful to marketing managers managing
modern retail outlets.

The required information for the case study was collected from 100 respondents. The
respondents were 50 shoppers from Reliance Fresh (a modern retail outlet) and 50 from
Shiny Provision Store (a Kirana store) located in BTM layout (a locality in the city of
Bangalore). Reliance Fresh’s store area is in the range of 3000 – 3500 Square Feet and
that of Shiny Provision Store’s area is in the range of 600-1000 Square Feet. There are
nearly 38 traditional Kirana stores in the vicinity of BTM layout and 11 are similar to
Shiny Provision Store in size, SKUs and trading both vegetables/fruits along with
groceries. Shiny Provision Store was selected for the study due to the following reasons.

1. Shiny Provision Store and Reliance Fresh are located in the main location of
BTM lay out and situated two kilometers apart. (2 kilometer vicinity was
considered for this study)
2. Shiny Provision Store stocks several kinds of groceries and fast moving consumer
goods. It also has a mix of branded and unbranded offerings like a typical Kirana
store.
3. Shiny carries several categories that are carried by Reliance Fresh. This ensures
an appropriate comparison between Kirana store and a modern outlet in terms of
consumers’ choice.
4. Shiny Provision Store provides door delivery service, mobile/phone order
delivery in the neighbourhoods like a typical Kirana store.

Some of the assumptions that were made during the study are as given below:

10
 1. Households in the 2 kilometer vicinity have more or less the same kind of
demographic and lifestyle preferences.
2. Consumer loyalty (for purposes of choosing respondents): Those consumers who
have bought monthly grocery for at least three times either from local Kirana or
from Reliance Fresh are termed as loyal consumers for the purpose of this study.

The survey was conducted using a questionnaire with the following parts

Section I: Retail Store Image carried five different sub dimensions viz. Aesthetic Image
(AI), Product/Brand Image (PI), Merchandising/Stocks/Variety (M), Store Service (SS),
Store Personnel (SP). In turn each of these five sub dimensions carried different questions
(Appendix 1) that were ranked on five point Likert scales, where higher the rating
indicates the better.
Section II: The questions related to demographics of the respondents were the focus of
this section, which concerned the information such as name, age, sex, marital status,
family size/type, income, education, and occupation details were the focus of this section.
Section III: Carried questions on psychographics of the respondents and were clubbed
together under three sub-headings such as Activities (A), Interests (I) and, Opinions (O).

Tables 1 to 4 provide information on relevant factors associated with this study area and
the stores Reliance Fresh and Shiny Provision Store. The focus of the study is two-
dimensional:
a) Several factors of retailing that contributed to the retail image (a modern retail
format on a traditional Kirana outlet)
b) The changing lifestyle of consumers that were reflected through activities (A) ,
interests (I) and opinions (O) (referred to as AIO)

11
Table1: No. of households in the vicinity of 2 kilometer from Reliance Fresh and
Shiny Provision Store

Income range No. of Households % of Households in

In INR BTM Layout
<10,000 3000 35
10,000-20,000 2300 27
20,000-30,000 1100 13
30,000-40,000 900 11
40,000-50,000 700 08
>50,000 500 06
Total 8,500 (34,500 100
voters)
Source: Mr. K. Devdas, Ex-corporator, Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, Ward No. 65(old) 136 (new), 2008
INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48.

Table 2: Average monthly expenditure on groceries/vegetables/fruits

Reliance Fresh Shiny Provision Store

Income range Average monthly Average monthly
In INR expenditure on expenditure on
groceries/Vegetables/fruits groceries/vegetables/fruits
in INR/household in INR/household
<10,000 2000 2000
10,000-20,000 3500 3100
20,000-30,000 4600 3300
30,000-40,000 4700 3700
40,000-50,000 5600 4900
>50,000 7200 6000
Total 27600 23000
Source: From the field survey
INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48.

12
Table 3: Consumer consumption pattern (based on average consumption of
consumers)

Products % of total Shiny Provision Store Reliance Fresh

consumption
Branded Unbranded/Store Branded Unbranded/Store
brands % % brands %
%
Rice 40 - 100 100 -
Wheat 20 100 - 100 -
Rawa 10 - 100 100 -
Sugar 5 - 100 100 -
Spices 3 - 100 - 100
Oil 5 100 - 100
Poha (Beaten 5 - 100 - 100
rice)
Raagi 10 - 100 100 -
Total 100
Source: From the field survey

Table 4: Average percentages of expenditure on Groceries/ Vegetables/ Fruits as

given by the respondents

Outlets Reliance Fresh Shiny Provision Store

Income range Average % of monthly Average % of monthly
In INR expenditure on expenditure on
groceries/vegetables/fruits groceries/vegetables/fruits
out of the total retail out of the total retail
(consumables) expenses (consumables) expenses
<10,000 90 85
10,000-20,000 85 86
20,000-30,000 80 84
30,000-40,000 82 84
40,000-50,000 75 78
>50,000 80 80
Source: From the field survey
INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48.
Note: the table is to be read in the following manner; for example in the income range of < 10,000 INR,
90% of the monthly expenditure spent on groceries/vegetables/fruits as a part of total retail expenses on
consumable goods. Apart from these expenses, consumers will also be spending on other retail expenses
like personal care products/ cosmetics/ any other offering relevant to them in a retail outlet.

13
Tables A1, A2 provide the average ratings of retail image of Reliance Fresh and Shiny
Provision Store respectively. Tables B1, B2 provide the average ratings of
psychographics (activities (A), interests (I) and opinions (O)) of the respondents of
Reliance Fresh and Shiny Provision Store respectively.

Table A1: Reliance Fresh (Average ratings of Retail Image)

Income Aesthetic Product/brand Merchandising/ Store Store
In INR image image stocks/variety service Personnel
(AI) (PI) (M) (SS) (SP)
<10,000 4.30 4.33 4.42 4.00 3.78
10,000-20,000 3.80 3.38 3.52 3.56 3.89
20,000-30,000 3.51 3.25 3.68 3.73 3.83
30,000-40,000 3.81 3.75 3.78 3.66 3.92
40,000-50,000 3.74 3.58 3.81 3.83 3.62
>50,000 4.06 3.42 3.96 4.29 3.89
Total 3.87 3.62 3.86 3.84 3.82
Source: From the field survey INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48.

Table B1: Reliance Fresh (Average ratings of AIO)- Psychographics

Income Activities (A) Interests (I) Opinions (O)
in INR
<10,000 3.74 3.87 3.78
10,000-20,000 3.54 3.57 3.60
20,000-30,000 3.32 3.44 3.47
30,000-40,000 3.43 3.38 3.61
40,000-50,000 3.72 3.61 3.69
>50,000 3.52 3.81 3.77
Total 3.54 3.61 3.65
Source: From the field survey INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48.

Table A2: Shiny Provision Store (Average ratings of Retail image)

Income Aesthetic Product/brand Merchandising/ Store Store
In INR image image stocks/variety service Personnel
(AI) (PI) (M) (SS) (SP)
<10,000 3.00 4.43 3.39 3.29 3.38
10,000-20,000 3.12 4.65 3.21 3.34 3.20
20,000-30,000 2.90 4.94 2.97 2.39 3.11
30,000-40,000 2.96 4.38 3.53 3.34 3.67
40,000-50,000 3.76 4.64 3.18 3.61 3.57
>50,000 3.08 4.63 3.44 3.75 3.08
Total 3.14 4.61 3.29 3.29 3.33
Source: From the field survey INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48

14
Table B2: Shiny Provision Store (Average ratings of AIO) - Psychographics
Income Activities (A) Interests (I) Opinions (O)
In INR
<10,000 3.24 2.88 3.14
10,000-20,000 3.11 3.25 3.32
20,000-30,000 2.93 3.13 2.99
30,000-40,000 3.19 3.33 3.39
40,000-50,000 3.67 3.52 3.65
>50,000 3.03 3.25 3.54
Total 3.19 3.22 3.37
Source: From the field survey INR – Indian Rupees – 1 US$ is approximately equal to INR 48.

Questions

1. Analyze the expenditure pattern of Reliance Fresh and Shiny Provision Store
customers.
2. Discuss the retailing sale potential associated with the area of study in this case.
3. Analyze the image dimensions associated with both the outlets namely Reliance
Fresh and Shiny Provision Store.
4. Analyze the psychographic ratings of consumers associated with both the outlets
namely Reliance Fresh and Shiny Provision Store.
5. Using the answers to questions 1-5, what is the strategy that you will recommend
for Shiny Provision Store? (Kirana stores Vs modern retail outlets is a typical
issue in the Indian retailing sector)

15
Appendix 1
Table A: Retail Image Dimensions
Aesthetic Image (AI)
Aesthetic Image /Physical settings/Display
The store has a pleasant atmosphere.
The store has an attractive layout.
The store has informative advertising
It’s very easy to find the products in the shop
Products in the shelves are messy
The outlet has a well spaced merchandize
The outlet has exhibited good displays all over
The shop has attractive and informative displays
Shop signage is very good

Product/brand Image (PI)

Product/Brand Image
The store has well-known brands.
The store has low quality products

Merchandising/ stocks/variety (M)

Merchandize /Stocks/Variety
The store has an unlimited selection of products
The store has both private and manufacturer brands
I get better price by buying private labeled groceries.
The store has exclusive product assortments

Store Service (SS)

Store service/billing/easy return
The store has good service.
It’s easy to return the purchases
The outlet has slow checkouts/billing
One stop shop facility is given by my favourite retailer

Store Personnel (SP)

Store personnel/service/behavior
The store’s sales clerks are well-dressed.
The store has knowledgeable sales clerks.
The store has helpful sales clerks

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Table B: AIO Dimensions
A-Activities cover the following dimensions
Activities (A)
When I shop, I tend to go with my friends
Buying vegetables is on the top list of my routine shopping
Activities
I prefer watching TV than going for shopping
I don’t mind shopping groceries even on weekdays
I normally shop in the evening time for groceries
I get opinions and information about retail outlets and prices from
my friends.
I don’t mind skipping going to a movie for shopping
I spend a lot of time in cleaning groceries that I buy
I buy vegetables on day to day basis
I feel cleaned vegetables would save my cooking time
I enjoy bargaining while shopping
Sales promotions by the retailer interests me buy more
I always read Point of purchase advertisements while shopping
I don’t mind traveling a kilometer extra for shopping at my
favourite grocery shop
I will save a lot of time if home delivery is provided by my retailer
Loyalty programs interest me shop with a particular retailer
I would choose a retailer who provides clean and convenient
packaging of groceries
I prefer to get Fresh stocks all the time from the retailer
I prefer to get credit facility from my favourite retailer.

I-Interests cover the following dimensions

Interests (I)
Shopping for me is more of entertainment from everyday routine
I wish I could win some prize in ‘event marketing’ that is
conducted for the shoppers while shopping in the outlet
I am excited to see the Radio Jockeys (RJ’s) and Television
Jockeys (VJ’s) conducting some events in the shopping area.
Friends / colleagues are the best shopping mates for me
I prefer to spend as much time as possible while shopping
Unplanned buy interests me as it makes me browse more
New product arrival counter is what I always look at, in the outlet
It makes me happy that my favourite retailers have started
providing mobile recharge and electricity bill payment facilities.
I am drawn to the retailer because he stocks ready-to-eat food
Special offers by the marketers tempt me to buy more quantity
Clear sign boards make my shopping easier
Restrooms will enable me to spend more time shopping
17
I prefer to have a lot of assistance from the sales personnel while
shopping
I consider any kind of shopping as a choir (pleasing)
I prefer to shop with different retailers for better offers that save
my money

O-opinion covers the following dimensions

Opinions (O)
I like shopping areas that have good lighting, space and a soothing
environment.
I look at the displays before buying new products
Too many brands at the retailer confuse me
I prefer to pay with cash for my shopping activities
No availability of stocks make me chase the other outlets
I shop vegetables along with groceries
I would like to get credit card points on every shopping transaction
In-shop announcements make me buy more
The retailer should not compromise on quality of products
Checkouts without queues will attract me to retailer
I prefer the retailer whose billing does not have mistakes
I feel modern retailer offers exclusive sales promotion offers
I feel private label (retailers’ own brand) brands offer more value
I would prefer to shop with the retailer who accepts credit cards
I feel retailers cheat customers on sales promotional gifts
Shopping with familiar retailers is less time consuming
Going to a large department store is a waste of time as I do not get
adequate returns.
Shopping in a modern retail outlet gives me a thrill
People shopping in modern stores are high-income people
For me convenience means everything in shopping

18
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Authors would like to thank Mr. P. Seshagiri Rao and Mr. P. Srinivasan Managing
Partners, Franchise of Nilagiries of Rutun Enterprises for their support in providing the
photographs of modern retail outlet and Mr. Anandan S. owner of Shiny Provision Store
(Kirana) for providing support to the study.

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