Flipkart may consolidate Walmart’s wholesale operations

(File photo)

NEW DELHI: E-commerce giant Flipkart, which recently took over its US parent Walmart’s wholesale business in India, is exploring ways to consolidate its operations and this could include shutting down unviable “Best Price” stores or turning some of them into full-fledged warehouses with a greater focus on their e-commerce operations, sources said.
The Bengaluru-headquartered company, in which Walmart bought 77% stake for $16 billion in 2018, is also in the process of relinquishing the space in Gurgaon used as headquarters by Walmart India, which runs 28 Best Price stores across India, with plans to relocate its employees to Bengaluru.
“Employees of the Walmart India team will transition to Flipkart Wholesale in January 2021. As part of the integration, we will be moving our operations to Bengaluru in the next fiscal. We will provide our employees with the necessary support to make this move,” a Flipkart Group spokesperson said.
“The Best Price cash and carry business will continue to serve its 1.5 million+ members via its omni-channel network of 28 stores and B2B e-commerce operations. Our new store in Tirupati will open to serve members later this year and we will continue to evaluate opportunities for store openings,” the spokesperson added.