YatriKart's INR 120.00 crore MMG Group deal to open 1,000 quick-stop stores shows how convenience built for travellers could transform India's highways.
MMG Group, the Indian partner of McDonald’s and Coca-Cola, has committed INR 120 crore to help YatriKart open 1,000 quick-stop stores in five years, roughly INR 12 lakh per outlet.
India’s retail market is near USD 1.3 trillion, modern retail penetration is about 9%, and transit retail alone is estimated at nearly USD 22 billion.
S. Shriram, pioneer of modern Travel Retail in India and former Head of Travel Retail, BIAL, says, “Travellers buy on need, not habit. A trusted highway stop earns loyalty no city store can.”
The New Shop leads the organised 24/7 space, with over 100 stores across railway stations, highways and airports, and an ambition of 10,000 stores by 2030.
Globally, 7-Eleven shows what convenience can become, with over 86,000 stores across 19 countries, mostly in Asia, built on fresh food, reliable assortment and supply chain discipline.
In India, Reliance Retail’s 7-Eleven stores, launched in 2021, closed in September after facing kiranas and quick commerce in cities; highways, with captive travellers, offer a different equation.
YatriKart, founded in 2021 in Indore, already runs over 80 stores, backed by MMG at an INR 100 crore valuation and about USD 3 million raised earlier.
Highways suit this model naturally.
Travellers arrive tired, hungry and short of time, with no alternative for kilometres, making trust, hygiene and availability the real purchase drivers.
Today’s challenge is uneven quality, inconsistent pricing and shuttered shops at night, and 24/7 organised stores with technology-led replenishment can answer all three.
With MMG’s food-service discipline and a franchise model that includes local hawkers, YatriKart can scale one trusted stop at a time.
Editor’s Note
Highways are India’s next retail high street.
Every fuel stop and rest point, where travellers naturally pause, is waiting for an organised, trustworthy convenience format.
The winners will not be those who open fastest, but those who stock right, replenish smartly and keep the lights on through the night.
Franchise partnerships that include local hawkers also carry social value, turning informal entrepreneurs into organised retail owners.
India’s travellers have waited long for a dependable quick stop, and the road ahead looks genuinely bright.
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