Amazon India is on an expansion drive of its fulfilment network, with a nearly 40 percent increase in its storage capacity as compared to last year, the ecommerce giant said on Thursday.
Following this expansion, Amazon will have more than 43 million cubic feet of storage capacity across 15 states, supporting around 8.5 lakh sellers across India.
The overall fulfilment network of Amazon India will be spread across a floor area of more than 10 million square feet.
In a statement, Amazon said, “The expansion is in line with Amazon India’s continued efforts to heavily invest in the country and create tens of thousands of direct and indirect work opportunities.”
According to the company, with this expansion, Amazon India will have over 60 fulfilment centres and more than 25 specialised sites dedicated to Amazon Fresh selection for daily essentials and groceries across India.
The launch of 11 new fulfilment centres and expansion of nine existing ones will be across states, including Maharashtra, Bihar, Gujarat, Assam, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.
While some of the new fulfilment centres will be operational ahead of Prime Day 2021, all of Amazon India’s new centres will be operational before the festive season.
Akhil Saxena, VP – Customer Fulfilment Operations, APAC, MENA & LATAM, Amazon, said, “The rapid expansion of our fulfilment network accelerates on our commitment to serve and empower small and medium businesses in India and customers. This expansion will also provide a fillip to the ancillary businesses who support us, including those involved in packaging, logistics, and transportation, among others, while creating meaningful work opportunities across the country.”
Amazon emphasised that its fulfilment network is designed with state-of-the-art technology and efficient building systems that minimise energy usage. The buildings have on-site and off-site solar panels. Most buildings are also designed to be net water zero with multiple initiatives. The fulfilment centres are also designed to make these workplaces accessible to people with disabilities.
Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog, said, “Ecommerce has played a crucial role throughout the pandemic by supporting people, small businesses, and creating thousands of local job opportunities. I am happy to see the focused investments by Amazon across Indian states in building and scaling the state-of-the-art infrastructure. This will play a critical role in supporting MSMEs jump-start from the economic disruptions of COVID-19 pandemic and accelerate their journey towards being digital entrepreneurs.”
