Walmart India has opened a B2B Cash & Carry store in Karimnagar, about 170 km from Hyderabad, making it the second in Telangana and the company's 24th ‘Best Price Modern Wholesale Store’ in the country.
This store has been launched after Walmart India became a fully-owned subsidiary of the global retail giant Walmart Inc. The company plans to further expand its footprint by setting up more stores and a fulfilment centre in Hyderabad during the year.
The new store has been integrated with the B2B e-commerce platform, making it convenient for its customers to buy online.
Under an MoU inked with Telangana, Walmart is to open seven new stores in the state, which is also an important sourcing destination for the company. Walmart sources directly from farmers, besides small and medium agri-commodity suppliers and several SMEs, which have their private brands.
The Best Price Store is designed to meet all the needs of small businesses, including kiranas, re-sellers, offices, institutions and hotels, restaurants and caterers in the region.
Krish Iyer, President & CEO, Walmart India told BusinessLine , “India is a strategic market for Walmart and we have made significant progress in the past few years. This store reinforces our belief in the ease of doing business in India and in the state.”
“These stores give us the opportunity to continue to create shared value for our local supplier partners, farmers, members, associates and the community at large. Each of our stores creates 2,000 direct and indirect jobs and this one, too, has opened up employment opportunities for local youth,” he said.
Supplier development
“While growing the business, we will continue to invest in the supply chain and supplier development, focusing on the growth of small and medium manufacturers in the state, developing local clusters to source directly from farmers and by setting new benchmarks in the cash and carry business," he said.
Spread over 50,000 sq. ft., the store will significantly contribute to the local and state economy by creating jobs. “We source more than Rs 150 crore worth of items from this state. As we develop the small farmer and regional supplier ecosystem, this is expected to get bigger,” Iyer said.
Walmart has about 26 stores in the pipeline, which it expects to commission over the next two-three years. The pace of expansion could speed up if we can close clear titled land parcels of 4-5 acres. However, it is a tough proposition,” Iyer explained.
As an environmentally focussed company, the new store has been integrated with renewable energy, LED lights, water recycling through a Sewage Treatment Plant and groundwater recharging through a collection of storm water and waste management practices.