Amazon India on Thursday announced the expansion of its fulfilment network in India, with 10 new Fulfilment Centres (FCs) and expansion of seven existing buildings. With this expansion, Amazon.in will have more than 60 FCs in 15 States, with a total storage capacity of over 32 million cubic feet.
The new FCs include the specialised network of FCs for large appliances and furniture category and Receive Centres. Amazon India’s fulfilment network will be spread across a floor area of more than 8 million square feet.
“The increase in storage capacity is in line with our long-term commitment to invest in India and we are delighted to help Indian customers get everything they need, while keeping our customers and our workforce safe,” said Akhil Saxena, VP, Customer Fulfilment Operations, APAC, MENA & LATAM, Amazon India.. “With the expanded network of more than 60 FCs, we look forward to creating thousands of job opportunities with competitive pay. Our investment in infrastructure and technology is to provide sellers with closer access to Amazon’s fulfilment offerings, customers with faster delivery on a wider selection of products and help ancillary businesses such as packaging, transportation and logistics,” Saxena added.
The new FCs will be set up in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Patna, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ludhiana and Ahmedabad.
The expansion is designed to deliver a smarter, faster and more consistent experience for Amamzon India’s customers and sellers across the country. All new FCs will be operational before the festive season, enabling customers to stay safe at home and have what they need delivered at their doorsteps, the company added.
When using Fulfilment By Amazon (FBA), sellers across India send their products to Amazon’s FCs, and once an order is placed, Amazon picks, packs and ships the order to the customer, provides customer service and manages returns on behalf of the sellers. The recently introduced Receive Centres are product collection points where sellers ship their products for further distribution across the Amazon FC network in India.
“In these challenging times and in post-Covid-19 era, e-commerce will be a key driver of India’s growth and job creation,” said Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog. “Physical procurement will give way to digital transactions.” India, he noted, is still at the beginning of its e-commerce revolution. “As this segment grows and expands, Amazon should provide safe access to products for the people of India, work closely with our kirana stores so that they also benefit from the expansion of the market and the support industries such as packaging, trucking and construction. All these will have a significant multiplier impact on India’s economy,” Kant added.
“I am happy to see the continued investment Amazon is making to infrastructure in India on a regular basis. I am also glad that it is providing market access to our MSME’s, craftsmen and artisans,”Kant said.