Flipkart expands warehousing network in Gujarat to support local sellers

AHMEDABAD : Walmart-owned Flipkart announced the expansion of its supply chain in Gujarat with the addition of four new supply chain facilities to support local sellers from the state and to cater to the growing demand for e-commerce.

The new facilities are located in Ahmedabad and Surat, and are collectively spread across an area of nearly 500,000 square feet, helping create more than 5,000 direct and indirect local jobs in the state. This will further help strengthen the support for close to 35,000 local sellers from Gujarat to get national market access while ensuring wider selection and faster deliveries for the customers.

“With a strengthened supply chain presence in Gujarat we will be able to further support MSMEs, sellers from Gujarat and thousands of Kirana partners from the state, while creating thousands of additional local jobs,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, Group CEO, Flipkart.

The addition of new facilities will also augment Flipkart’s capabilities to cater to more consumers, including lakhs of first-time e-commerce customers. Interestingly, over 52 per cent of new Flipkart consumers are from tier-II and beyond cities. There is growing adoption of e-commerce services and more opportunities for sellers from these regions. These fresh investments by Flipkart in the state will support thousands of small businesses. Over time, the Flipkart group has created over 130,000 direct and indirect local jobs in the state, while bringing market access to under-served communities in Gujarat.

“E-commerce has played a pivotal role in taking the local seller ecosystem to a pan-India customer base,” said Vijay Rupani, Chief Minister, Government of Gujarat. “It’s heartening to witness the expansion of Flipkart’s supply chain in the state which will create thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities and open new avenues for thousands of MSMEs, local traders, and artisans.”

He said the Gujarat Government is committed to the overall development of the state including the building of an enabling ecosystem for e-commerce by working closely with industry leaders like Flipkart to spur growth in the region.

Over the past few years, Gujarat has emerged as a strong market for e-commerce with lakhs of new customers, sellers, and kirana partners taking to e-commerce to meet their requirements while making use of the entrepreneurship opportunities it offers.

Source : Business Standard