India Post News Service

ARTESIA: Ker Little India opened for business in October last year. Spread over an area of over 6,000 sq. ft, it is the largest Indian grocery store in Artesia with a focus on Indian grocery, fresh produce and vegetarian food from its own cafe/deli. The store is owned by Naran and Kanta Kerai. Naran Kerai is a pharmacist by profession and this is their second store.

They opened their first store in San Diego in 1997. The San Diego store has seen tremendous growth and today occupies an area of 34,000 sq ft. Starting out with just 2,500 sq.ft, today it includes an 8000 sq. ft restaurant and banquet facility.Unlike other grocery stores, it has a high standard of hygiene and cleanliness. One can find row upon row of a wide selection of Indian groceries, British goods, an abundance of fresh produce, a vast frozen section of ready-to-eat foods and other frozen goods.

The store also has an entire section of musical instruments, DVD sales and rentals, a book section including books in English and all Indian regional languages, and an entertainment section with a ticket outlet box office for all local shows.

The café/ deli is focused on take-out and catering with limited in-house dining. The food is pure vegetarian North & South Indian and Gujarati fast food, snacks and sweets. There is a to-go lunch and dinner buffet throughout the week.Says Kerai," our motto is 'Bringing India to your doorstep." This is being done by the nationwide Internet order and delivery set up. In the Los Angeles area, Ker delivers goods at the customer's doorstep.

This includes fresh produce, catered items, large volume grocery to merchants, caterers and customers.Ker offers a discount on all sales for registered non-profit organizations. Kerai is well aware of the competition, with no dearth of grocery stores in the area. "Branding is a sure way to beat this," he says.

They have launched the Ker in-store brand and Swagatam brand for nationwide distribution which will eventually compete with other major brands."Our focus is on volume sales and large turnover. This will ensure a flow of fresh produce and food," he adds.Kerai, who can speak eight languages - Hindi, Gujarati, Urdu, English, Spanish, French and Swahili - wishes to reach out beyond the Indian market to other ethnic groups.Future plans include expansion by opening stores in San Francisco and Las Vegas.