Chandigarh, April 20
Glossy malls and retail chains have also started dotting Punjab’s countryside. Though most of the big corporate houses are confined to urban areas as far as setting up Malls and chain of stores is concerned, there are two groups - Shriram group and Godrej Group - that have entered the rural and semi-urban areas to set up retail chains to cater to the needs of rural population.
Shriram group has already set up 27 rural malls. However, the group has named these as “ Hariayali Kisan Bazaar”. The group has planned to set up 1,000 such bazars across the country and 172 have already come up in various states. Obviously, the group is active in the state where farmers have the spending power.
At Kisan Bazaar, rural folks can get all kinds of goods. Besides certified seeds of various crops, various kinds of fertilisers, pesticides, cattle feed, spray pumps and other agricultural equipment such as sickles are also made available to farmers at such bazars. Besides durable consumer goods such as refrigerators, fans, coolers, kitchenware, other stuff such as toiletries and towels etc are also available.
Other corporate house that has entered the rural market in Punjab is Godrej Group. This group has named its retail chain Godrej Adhar.
Asked in this connection, Kapoor Chand Sharma, territory manager of Shriram Group for Punjab, said,“We are focusing on rural Punjab and providing quality goods to farming community.” He said response to such bazaars from the rural folks is quite good. All consumer goods such as pulses, refined oils have also been kept in these bazaars. “People from the rural areas also like well-packaged stuff,” said a salesman manning the counter at a bazar set up by the group near Kularan village, on the Morinda-Bassi Pathana road.
And in the bazars, material of various brands is available. “We have procured material from various companies and sell the same under their brand name. We only put our brand name on the goods produced or manufactured by our own company,” said the salesman. “Moreover, we give proper bill to all buyers,” he said. People get the goods at a competitive price. “Even people from nearby small towns visit our bazaar to buy various goods,” he said. “Soon we will set up fuel stations and LPG will also be available in these bazars,” he further said. “All needs of farmers will be met under one roof,” he added.
