Walmart Storeshas opened a ‘dark store’ (a large retail facility that resembles a conventional supermarket or other store but is not open to the public, housing goods used to fulfill orders placed online), in India.
The 45,000 square feet centre at Bhiwandi will serve kirana storesand other B2B businesses through online orders and will mostly stock packaged consumer products and home supplies.
As per said Krish Iyer, CEO at Walmart India – Metro cities are great markets for consumers but the availability of large real estate at a reasonable cost is a challenge.
The Indian unit of Walmart launched its online platform for members of Best Price Modern Wholesale stores three years ago.
The online platform was restricted to cities with the stores. The company will now start an online platform without a physical store.
Walmart is set to open 5-7 stores next year and add another 8-10 in the subsequent year.