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<\/p>\nWith the rains at unprecedented low in August, kiranas are thinking twice before stocking up on goods.<\/p>\n
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“With August 2023 rain shortfall at almost a 100-year low, we are seeing kiranas stocking up very carefully,” Akshay D’Souza, chief of growth and insights at Bizom, told Business Standard<\/em>.<\/p>\n He added, “As we look ahead, it does seem that the impact of rains in September will be critical to the sowing season.<\/p>\n “This could impact sentiment, sales and consumption of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs), especially in rural areas.”<\/p>\n Sales of FMCG items slowed both on a month-on-month (M-o-M) basis and year-on-year (Y-o-Y) and stores stocked up on lesser products, according to Bizom data.<\/p>\n On a M-o-M basis, sales from shampoos to detergents were down 8.4 per cent in August while on a Y-o-Y basis, they fell 11.2 per cent.<\/p>\n While urban sales were up Y-o-Y at 1.9 per cent, rural sales took a hit.<\/p>\n They were down 17.2 per cent compared to last year, according to Bizom.<\/p>\n D’Souza said, “Even as we expect edible oil prices to hold during the festival season, they are currently down by over a third on a YoY basis.<\/p>\n “As a result, commodity product sales are down by almost a fourth Y-o-Y.”<\/p>\n The only category which bucked the trend was packaged foods on a M-o-M basis.<\/p>\n It was up 3.2 per cent, driven by gifting packs. Y-o-Y, the category’s sales were down 6.3 per cent.<\/p>\n