Flipkart group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy said in a recent interview to ET that the company may pilot its fresh foods business, but will not do a full-fledged launch anytime soon.
By Reuters
BANGALORE, INDIA, May 02, 2019 – Flipkart is in talks to buy Indian grocery chain Namdhari’s Fresh, people familiar with the deal said, as the homegrown e-tailer majority-owned by Walmart seeks to expand its food and grocery segment.
“This business may be of interest to Walmart’s agri supply chain,” said a person aware of the talks, adding that “the transaction isn’t done yet.” The deals talks were first reported by CNBC TV18 on Wednesday.
The grocery store chain is a retailer of fruits, vegetables and staples, with a bulk of its vegetables and fruits exported to Europe, Australia and the Middle East. Namdhari Seeds, the company’s other business, is one of the largest distributors of vegetable seeds in the country and exports to Europe, Japan, the US, Western Asia and Southeast Asia.
Flipkart declined to comment, while Namdhari’s did not immediately respond to ET’s query seeking comment. Namdhari’s operates 25 outlets in Bengaluru and plans to open stores in other metros shortly, according to the company’s website.
