E-commerce major Flipkart has recently announced that it has set up a new mega fulfilment centre in West Bengal – Flipkart’s second-largest facility in the state.
The new facility in Dankuni, West Bengal will be spread across an area of over 2.2 lakh sq ft, and will cater to the needs of Flipkart and Myntra customers in the region and bolster the e-commerce major’s efforts to ramp up supply chain infrastructure in the eastern part of the country.
It will also help thousands of sellers offer a wider selection and enable faster deliveries of customer orders within the region and neighbouring states while also helping create national market access, stated a statement from the e-commerce giant.
Unlike traditional warehouses, fulfilment centres are equipped with highly automated pick, pack and shipping processes to facilitate safe and timely processing of orders.
The statement read, “The new fulfilment centre (FC) will augment Flipkart’s capabilities to cater to more consumers, including millions of first-time e-commerce users in the East. With the addition of this new facility in Dankuni, Flipkart now has more than 10 lakh sq ft of warehousing space in the state alone and employs over 50,000 people across all these facilities.
This new mega fulfilment centre is in addition to lakhs of square feet of warehousing assets from partner brands and engagement with over 9,300 Kirana delivery partners and 10,000 sellers from the region. Over 52% of Flipkart’s consumers are from tier-II and beyond cities.
We are committed to the growth of the region and the businesses here by creating conducive policies and providing all possible support for their growth. Flipkart’s continued investment in the state is a testament to the enabling environment the state has helped create not just job opportunities but the safe way of deliveries for the consumers.”
~ Vandana Yadav, Secretary Industry Commerce and Enterprises, West Bengal
The company is strengthening its supply chain presence in West Bengal, and the latest expansion will help support small and medium businesses from the state while creating thousands of employment opportunities. E-commerce has helped serve citizens with a safe and sanitised supply chain and we will continue to serve the ecosystem including lakhs of sellers, MSMEs, kirana partners, millions of consumers and thousands of brands that we work with.”
Hemant Badri, Senior Vice-President (Supply Chain), Flipkart
Flipkart has about seven FCs in West Bengal, with a total area spread across 10 lakh sq ft and 152 delivery hubs. The state has the 10th largest seller base with 10,000 sellers. Every since the outbreak of the pandemic the e-commerce segment has seen strong growth in the country as containment measures introduced millions to the convenience of online shopping.
To cater to the increasing demand, the e-commerce platforms are ramping up capacities and hiring more employees.
Flipkart is reportedly in talks with various investors, including SoftBank and ADQ, for raising about USD 3 billion funding, a transaction that could value the e-commerce giant at USD 35-40 billion.
