Bangalore: Walmart Inc’s Flipkart had some good news for the Indian job market Tuesday. Flipkart said that it would create 70,000 new jobs and employ many more as delivery partners and in other roles. Flipkart will be expanding as it makes preparations for a surge in online shopping during India’s festive season.
Flipkart, Amazon.com and Reliance Industries Ltd’s fledgling e-commerce business are vying for a share of the booming online retail market. All these companies have received a big boost from the COVID-19 pandemic. This is because more and more Indians are turning to online shopping. They are using their smartphones to even shop for groceries and other items.
Flipkart’s ‘Big Billion Days’, styled on the lines of Amazon’s Prime Day, rakes in its biggest sales for the year. The four- or five-day long sale usually starts around October to tap India’s festive season, which ends with Diwali.
The company said it would also sign up more than 50,000 kiranas, or small grocery stores, for last-mile delivery.
“While creating direct job opportunities across Flipkart’s supply chain, that include delivery executives, pickers, packers and sorters, there will also be additional indirect jobs created at Flipkart’s seller partner locations and (local corner stores),” the company said in an emailed statement.
Earlier this month, the e-commerce company launched an online wholesale service, ‘Flipkart Wholesale’, for mom-and-pop stores and other small businesses.