Kirana Club: Helping the Small Retailer Fight Back
Each conversation with Anshul reinforces my confidence in Kirana Club’s vision and potential. The platform is built on a highly efficient, asset light model that leverages community-driven distribution, an approach that is both scalable and sustainable. At a time when small retailers across India are facing increasing pressure, Kirana Club offers the right solution at the right moment, let’s dive deeper:
In 2025, India’s 13 million kirana stores still make up 90% of the country’s $500+ billion grocery market. But they’re under increasing pressure from large players like D-Mart, Reliance, and BigBasket. D-Mart now operates 300+ stores and offers deep discounts with efficient logistics, something most kiranas can’t match. That’s where Kirana Club is stepping in. The app is designed specifically for small store owners, giving them real-time access to mandi prices, FMCG rates, trending products, and smart sourcing tips. It’s simple to use and available in local languages like Hindi, Gujarati, and Marathi. With over 30 lakh kiranas already onboarded, the platform is helping small shopkeepers compete with the big guys.
Kirana retailers often work in isolation, without access to timely business insights or product-level data. In 2025, this gap still hurts their ability to grow. While FMCG giants like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, and P&G try to reach retailers through traditional sales teams, they still cover only 10–15% of stores. Kirana Club changes the game by offering a digital platform where shopkeepers can get pricing updates, learn about new schemes, and engage with other retailers. The app now reaches over 2,500 cities and is used by store owners daily for smarter decision-making. One retailer in Gujarat, for example, made a ₹70,000 profit by spotting the right time to stock up on cottonseed oil. Brands are also seeing value,15+ top FMCG companies now use Kirana Club to run campaigns, collect feedback, and connect directly with stores. By bridging this information gap, Kirana Club is quietly becoming one of the most important enablers in India’s retail chain.
With strong traction in 2025, Kirana Club is poised for a breakout year. The platform has already connected with over 18 lakh kirana stores and plans to grow 5x by expanding deeper into existing states and new southern markets like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. It runs on a smart freemium model, free for kiranas, and monetized through brand partnerships. FMCG companies now rely on Kirana Club for direct reach and meaningful engagement, instead of costly offline sales strategies. The company is also investing in AI and R&D to enhance its recommendation engine and provide more personalized business insights to kiranas. What’s exciting is its global vision, Kirana Club plans to enter similar retail-heavy markets in Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. With its fast growth, asset-light model, and focus on solving a large and real problem, Kirana Club is on track to become India’s next unicorn.