Flipkart Wholesale is the business‑to‑business (B2B) wholesale arm of Flipkart Group in India, aimed at serving small retailers (kiranas), MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), “mom‑and‑pop” stores, hotels/restaurants/catering (HoReCa), etc.
It came into being when Flipkart acquired Walmart India’s cash‑and‑carry business, known as Best Price. Best Price had been operating physical wholesale stores (cash‑and‑carry) and serving businesses like kiranas and MSMEs. This acquisition was completed in July 2020.
Marketplace for Businesses
Flipkart Wholesale provides a digital platform (app) through which small retailers can order goods from local manufacturers, brands, and wholesalers. It enables bulk ordering, leveraging Flipkart’s supply chain, logistics, and technology.
Best Price Cash‑and‑Carry Stores
The physical stores (cash-and-carry) are part of the legacy of Walmart India’s Best Price brand. Flipkart Wholesale continues to operate these, which support many member retailers. These stores allow retailers to come in person, select products, and buy in bulk.
Experience Stores + Online + “Feet on the Street”
Flipkart Wholesale combines physical presence (experience/cash‑and‑carry stores) with digital ordering. Retailers can browse and order via the mobile app.
There is a “Feet on the Street” salesforce: people who go to shops, help those who might prefer offline ordering, or help in onboarding.
Product Categories & Scope
Initially focused on categories like fashion (apparel, footwear) in key metro / large cities (Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru etc.), but expanding to home & kitchen, grocery, etc.
Scale & Reach
Best Price had ~28 wholesale (cash‑and‑carry) stores as of the acquisition.
It serves over 1.5 million members (kiranas, small retail, HoReCa etc.) via those physical stores.
Flipkart Wholesale is expanding its city coverage; for example, expansion into several cities in Bihar, etc.
Support & Value‑Adds for Retailers
Offers credit or easier payment terms to small businesses.
Offers local and national brands + local manufacturers access, helping improve supplier base.
Uses technology and supply chain/logistics to reduce delays, offering local delivery etc.
B2B Marketplace + Physical Wholesale Hybrid: By combining online ordering with physical stores and field sales, Flipkart Wholesale caters to different preferences and infrastructure among small retailers (some prefer to see/choose physically, some are okay with online). This omni‑channel approach helps in areas where digital adoption is uneven.
Leveraging Flipkart’s Logistics & Technology: Flipkart already has infrastructure (warehouses, delivery, tech) for its e‑commerce and marketplace business; Wholesale taps into this to serve kiranas, thus reducing cost & improving reach.
Supporting Local Manufacturers: One aim is to onboard local manufacturers, many small ones, to supply via the platform, thus helping them scale.
Scale & Market Coverage: Expand from metros to smaller towns, deeper penetration into tier‑2/tier‑3 cities & states (e.g. Bihar expansion) to reach more retailers.
Competition: Flipkart Wholesale competes with other B2B players in India (e.g. Udaan, Amazon’s B2B/wholesale offerings). Its strengths come from integration with Flipkart’s larger platform and Walmart’s wholesale legacy (Best Price).
For kiranas / small retailers:
Better access to a wide range of products.
Lower prices due to bulk purchasing and logistics efficiencies.
Easier ordering, simplified payment/credit, delivery right to their shops in many cases.
Potentially reduced need to go physically to wholesale markets, saving time and transport.
For suppliers/manufacturers:
Access to a large network of retailers and MSMEs.
Ability to scale via digital/offline channels and data insights (what sells where).
For Flipkart / parent (Walmart):
Entry/capture of large B2B market opportunity in India’s unorganised retail sector.
Cross‑leverage: logistics, tech, supply chain from existing operations.
Profitability: Wholesale businesses often work on thin margins. Costs like warehousing, logistics, delivery, returns, managing inventory, etc. are high. Ensuring scale is critical.
Serving remote / small towns: Infrastructure, delivery delays, poor connectivity, supply chain issues can increase costs/hurdles.
Credit risk: Offering credit or payment flexibility to small retailers involves risk: defaults, delays, etc.
Competition: Other B2B players (e.g. Udaan, JioMart for groceries, etc) are also targeting the same kirana/MSME base. Must differentiate.
Regulatory / trade challenges: GST, local taxes, quality compliance, distribution norms etc often vary across states.
Kirana stores form a very large part of retail in India. They are crucial in providing convenience, local supply, and employment. Flipkart Wholesale is a way to modernize and integrate these into formal supply chains.
Helps in bringing down inefficiencies (middlemen, multiple transit steps), potentially lowering costs for small retailers and possibly end consumers.
Supports local manufacturing: by giving smaller manufacturers a channel to reach many retailers, it can foster growth in the MSME sector.
Push toward more formalization (use of digital tools, payments, compliance), which has broader benefits for traceability, taxation etc.
Flipkart was launched in 2007 as an online platform for selling books by Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal. Ten years later, the e-commerce company had 54 million active users and 100,000 plus sellers and had sold 261 million units. Read More