It was a banner year for Indian kirana as retail outlets were shuttered and stay-at-home orders were enforced, then extended.
India’s humble yet powerful kirana small shop owners leapfrogged into the future. Already with 95% of the food and grocery business and close to 80% of the entire trade, their market dominance only increased during the pandemic.
Why? Because they were relied upon more than ever as everyone stopped going to the big-ticket shops and depended on that one phone call to the kirana.
From the investment banking executive to the government bank clerk, all were probably getting their staples...