Flipkart Elevates Head Of Supply Chain To Spearhead Its Quick Commerce Initiative

Ecommerce major Flipkart's new quick commerce offering will be led by its Vice President and Group Head of Supply Chain Hemant Badri. The company is in the process of setting up dark stores for the new service.

Flipkart's choice to promote Badri has been widely recognised as a courageous move in the industry. Despite having only three years of association with the company, he has been entrusted with a significant responsibility. Nevertheless, Badri is a seasoned professional with 11 years of working stint at Unilever, a fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company.

At Unilever, Badri was working as Vice President of worldwide planning. Before Unilever, he was associated with another FMCG major Colgate Palmolive, as per reports.

Flipkart's foray into rapid commerce is poised to present a challenge to the well-established contenders Blinkit and Zepto. These players have gained recognition for their swift delivery services and are presently broadening their range of stock-keeping units (SKUs) in their dark stores. This expansion includes the addition of non-grocery items such as clothing, electronics, kitchen appliances and toys, these product categories have traditionally been dominated by ecommerce companies.

Zepto is currently seeking to secure up to USD 500 million in a funding cycle, potentially placing its valuation at approximately USD 2.5 billion, which is nearly twice the value of its previous round.

Meanwhile, Flipkart and Zepto were recently making headlines for a potential business collaboration, but the deal collapsed and is unlikely to be resurrected. According to reports, Flipkart had expressed its desire to acquire a significant stake in Zepto while allowing the founders to continue managing the company. However, Zepto chose to pursue a financial round instead of a strategic sale.