Mr.

Team: MArK-3



:: Topic ::
Organized retailing serving the bottom of the pyramid

Symbiosis Center for Management and Human Resource Development

Team:       Phone E-Mail
Archit Sureka +919860929309       architsureka@gmail.com
Sinjani Mondal +919860928892         sinjani_m@yahoo.co.in

1. Executive Summary

"Low-income markets present a prodigious opportunity for the world's wealthiest
Companies – to seek their fortunes and bring prosperity to the aspiring poor."
--C.K. Prahalad and Stuart L. Hart,
The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid

India's seventy-percent population lives in rural areas, which translates into a potential
consumer base of about 700 million individuals (more than the population of United
States and EU combined).

Time and again studies have shown that the rural consumer is no different from urban
consumers in terms of aspirations for a better lifestyle. However he is constrained by
intermittent & uncertain cash flows, poor infrastructure, lack of availability of quality
products and services and high dependence on feeder towns & cities.

The paper deals with understanding the dynamics of growth in the Indian market and has
tried to evaluate the highly attractive rural market in India -the Bottom of Pyramid (BOP)
- on various parameters in terms of present scenario, characteristics, challenges and future
growth potential.

Through the paper we have tried to study the feasibility of setting up a ‘Sampoorna
Grameen Bazaar' (SGB) across the State of Madhya Pradesh to cater to the needs of the
population residing in rural and backward areas outside the retail and distribution
network of manufacturing companies. We begin the paper by giving a brief project
rationale. We then go on to do a problem-opportunity analysis taking various factors into
consideration. Subsequently, we conclude the paper by looking at the future prospects of
such projects across the country.

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