Hindustan Unilever Partners With Banks And Telecom Companies To Reach Rural Consumers In India

Hindustan Unilever Ltd (HUL) plans to develop a model for joint distribution deals with India's leading telecom companies, banks, and financial services companies to cover some 775 million consumers who live in the country's rural areas. HUL plans to base the planned model on its Project Shakti alternative distribution channel, introducing an outline called, "Gateway to Rural: Beyond FMCG." Also, HUL has begun a pilot project with the State Bank of India involving HUL's Shakti Ammas, or women who sell HUL consumer products in India's rural areas. India's banking policies requiring banks to expand their services to include rural depositors push banks to search for effective means to penetrate rural markets, which offer growth opportunities for banks, mobile telecoms companies, and FMCG companies.