Bharti Retail may sell telecom, insurance

US retail giant Wal-Mart is known for selling anything from pharmaceuticals to guns back home, but its Indian partner Bharti could be stocking its shelves with everything from groceries to insurance products.

Bharti Enterprises, which has interests in telecom and insurance sectors, is looking at servicing end customers of the group's various activities under a single roof once the stores are opened next year.

"There is definitely a school of thought to synergise activities of group companies, which would relate to direct interaction with customers," Bharti Retail head Vinod Sawhney told PTI.

Asked if drawing synergies between group companies would mean sales and distribution channels such as that of Bharti Airtel finding a space under the retail umbrella, he said it was a possibility.

"Not only the telecom services, but the group also has interest in life insurance and there is a possibility that these facilities might be made available to customers through our retail channel," Sawhny added.

"We aim to be a mass market player with a multi-channel distribution network. The company has launched the agents, corporate and broker channels, while bancassurance tie-ups are being looked at," Nitin Chopra, CEO, Bharti Axa Life Insurance, said.

Bharti Airtel has a sales and distribution network of over 4.9 lakh outlets across the country. If things go as planned, many of them could move into Bharti Retail's outlets.