Abstract:

India has over 12 million retail outlets, more than the rest of the world combined, for 200 million households. This includes the small kirana or general store, as well as hawkers. The organised retail sector is in its infancy, while consumers continue to throng the highly fragmented traditional retailers and roadside hawkers in search of variety, customized service and rapport, and in haggling over the individually purchased items. This paper gives a colorful description of a fascinating retail scene where it is all about rebuilding traditionalism even while seemingly dissolving it.