Amazon Fresh Expands To India

Amazon announced on Thursday (Aug 22) that it’s bringing its online grocery business, Amazon Fresh, to India, according to a report by CNBC. 

The news comes on the heels of Amazon’s announcement of its largest campus ever, in Hyderabad. India is considered one of the last huge growth markets for Amazon, and it has invested heavily in the country.

It has hundreds of jobs listed for filling in the country, in both its marketplace and retail spaces. In all, the company has invested around $5 billion so far after five years in the country. There are reportedly plans to invest at least $2 billion more. 

Amazon Fresh is initially going to be available to customers in Bengaluru through the retail giant’s India website, as well as the app. That will just be the beginning, though, before it’s rolled out to other cities. The plan is to deliver groceries within a two-hour window from six in the morning to midnight.

While Amazon is pushing heavily in the country, it faces competition from the likes of Walmart, as well as regulatory issues that could slow down the growth of foreign eCommerce investment as a whole.

In February, India passed new law governing how offshore eCommerce companies could operate in the country, banning them from selling products from companies in which they have an equity stake. Many analysts assume the new rules will only hinder Amazon and Walmart for a short time as they figure out ways to comply with the new regulatory landscape. 

The new campus in Hyderabad will house around 15,000 workers and is sprawled over 9.5 acres. The campus building has more than 2.5 times the steel of the Eiffel Tower when measured by weight, according to the Times of India. Right now, Amazon has more than 62,000 workers in India, with about one third of them in Hyderabad.