Amazon reportedly planning to expand Indian grocery delivery activities
Amazon India is reportedly planning to expand its Kirana Now offering into a fully-fledged grocery delivery service operating in major cities across India. Amazon started up Kirana Now in March last year. It began as a relatively modest operation by Amazon’s standards, supplying everyday items from local convenience/grocery stores (or “Kirana” in Hindi) in Bengaluru.
A report published by LiveMint today (19 January) claimed that “three people familiar with the matter” had informed their journalists that Amazon “has hired hundreds of delivery men for the initiative and plans to expand to up to 10 cities in India this year”. The Financial Express has also claimed that Amazon is gearing up for the big push into groceries. Amazon has declined to comment.
The timing of the reports about Amazon India’s alleged grocery ambitions is interesting, given the recent reports about the company’s plans for the UK. Amazon has been ramping up its activities in the UK grocery market through the expansion of its Pantry and Prime Now services, that much is actually confirmed; and last night the Daily Mail ran a report which claimed there were “rumours in the city” that the internet giant was considering a tie-up with the online supermarket Ocado.
