After Flipkart buy, this is the next step for US giant retailer Walmart

Walmart India, which recently acquired Flipkart, is reportedly planing to scale up Mera Kirana programme that helps small family-owned grocery stores to modernise. The US-based Brick and mortar retail chain will also open a new fulfilment centre to expand its cash-and-carry footprint at a faster clip. After piloting Mera Kirana programme for over the past four years,  Walmart India is now planning to make it part of its mainstream business, Mint reported quoting a top executive of the retailer. The retail chain is also planning to open a warehouse in Lucknow over the next month or so.

Walmart, under the flagship Mera Kirana programme creates zones in its Best Price wholesale stores to resemble a modern kirana store, the report said.  Walmart also sends its teams to local stores to work with them. Nearly 70% of Walmart's 1 million active customer base are small stores and many of these stores are not yet technology-enabled.   Walmart works with small retailers to digitise their business, and also in some cases provides hardware and software for free. 

Walmart is also experimenting with fulfilment centres in India and these will be housed in third-party logistics firms operated warehouses.  Walmart will use this to service kirana stores in the vicinity. The company typically needs four acres to open a full-fledged Best Price store, and the process of getting requisite approvals and performing due diligence for these used to take up to four years earlier.

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Walmart has opened its first fulfilment centre  in Bhiwandi near Mumbai. It took 60 days to become operational. Walmart said fulfilment centres allow it to go to market faster.