With the grocery business in India being dominated by big names such as Flipkart, Walmart, Amazon and Grofers, as well as supermarket chains, smaller family-owned kirana stores are finding ways to stay relevant in this sector. The biggest advantage the kirana‘s have is proximity to the customer as well as a working social connection with families that regularly shop from these their go-to independent convenience stores.
German wholesaler Metro Cash & Carry has been supporting kirana owners to digitize their businesses, and says it has provided over 500 PoS terminals with built-in store management software to small stores in cities across India, such as Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Surat. It wants to reach all of its 3,000,000 registered businesses. Metro has arranged loan facilities – through financiers such as Capital Float and Kotak Mahindra Bank – for shopkeepers to buy these systems. The interest on the loan is borne by Metro.
There are an estimated 12 million kirana stores and traders in India and 13 million hotels, restaurants and caterers, many of whom buy items in bulk from Metro. Digitization helps these businesses manage customer credit, communicate offers and promotions, accept digital payments, check store inventory, order replenishment, as well as pay bills, and book tickets among other personal tasks. The system even allows for some analytics that help in better stock planning, and reports of customers’ purchase history.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
