India Inc expands direct reach, adds small packs to tap robust rural market

Experts say string focus on Bharat stems from good monsoons, higher MSP in some states, reverse migration and govt's overall welfare push in the villages

Nestlé, Dabur, and Britannia Industries have one thing in common: aggressive expansion into rural areas. In the past few months, direct coverage of villages by these fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) majors has grown. The plan is to continue with this in the months ahead.

"Last year, we were close to 45,000 villages in terms of coverage. We've doubled our distribution in the past 12-18 months to 90,000 villages. These have been on the back of wholesale hubs that we've created in rural areas. These hubs are quite significant now. More than 7,000-8,000 have been set up nationally so far,” says Suresh