Walmart, it seems, has attained global domination, as the largest retailer in the entire world, beating out even Amazon (so far).
The global market, especially sales of discount goods, is fierce, and it’s especially competitive in areas with high population densities.
With stores in countries as far-flung as China, it’s reasonable to wonder: Is Walmart in India or Delhi? I’ve got the answer you’re looking for, and it’s not what you think.
Key Takeaways
Is Walmart In India Or Delhi In 2022?
Walmart has no stores in either India or Delhi as of 2022. However, Walmart is the controlling stakeholder in the Indian-founded e-commerce company Flipkart Group, as well as its subsidiaries Myntra (apparel) and PhonePe (a mobile payment company). Walmart has no plans of opening physical stores in India.
To learn more about Walmart in India and Delhi, including what Walmart is called there, why there are no Walmart stores, whether Walmart is popular in India, and more, check out the info below!
What Is Walmart Called In India?
You can find Walmart in India under the name Flipkart, an Indian-founded existing e-commerce company that Walmart acquired in 2018.
With seemingly unlimited resources at their disposal, the company clearly judges for the least obtrusive entry into new markets.
It can be difficult to remember, but different cultures and different shoppers might not view the American style of retail as the fun, friendly experience U.S. consumers enjoy.
For example, when Walmart entered the UK, they did so through the acquisition of the established Asda chain of grocery stores, rather than with Walmart stores.
So it’s not surprising that they chose a different route than the process of opening a Supercenter in a country with a population density of about 1,100 people per square mile.
What Is Flipkart?
Flipkart was founded in Bangalore in 2007, by two former Amazon employees.
It originally followed Amazon’s formula of online book sales, but soon expanded and acquired a number of other mobile retailers, like Myntra and PhonePe.
Walmart beat out Amazon in a 2018 bidding war for the controlling stake in Flipkart – 77 percent for $16 billion, plus Walmart made $2 billion available in equity funding.
Aside from Flipkart’s e-commerce ventures, the Flipkart Group also maintains 28 members-only “warehouse-club-style stores.”
Where Can You Shop At Walmart In India Or Delhi?
While there are no actual Walmart Supercenters or Discount Stores or Neighborhood Markets in India or its capital of Delhi, you can still shop their Indian acquisitions.
Of course, that includes the Flipkart website, anywhere, any time. The site and its affiliated apps, have an Amazon-meets-Wish feel.
Just the initial home page boasts a selection ranging from watches, to ceiling fans, to phones, to chocolate.
But if you’re looking for a brick-and-mortar experience in India and Delhi, there are options – but with a caveat.
To shop at a Walmart-owned physical store in India, you would have to visit a Best Price Flipkart Wholesale location.
As I mentioned, there are nearly 30 locations throughout India, with one store about 51 miles from Delhi.
These wholesale warehouses are not, however, for your everyday shopper.
Instead, they are for the owners of kiranas (neighborhood shops) and MSMEs (micro, small and medium enterprises).
These shops are not just an essential part of the Indian economy – they’re also woven into the fabric of Indian communities.
They’re the lifeblood for many Indian families – providing everything they need in one place, in a reasonably convenient location.
To shop at a Best Price Flipkart Wholesale, then, you must be a small business/store owner (or a shopper on their behalf), and you must join the membership club.
In a way, when an individual shops at a kirana in India, if the store sourced their goods from a Flipkart Wholesale, customers are indirectly making a Walmart purchase.
Is Walmart Coming To India?
This begs the question: Why are there no Walmarts in India?
First and foremost, Indian laws mostly prevent foreign companies from entering the country and choking out the existing network of mom-and-pops.
Walmart uses, or navigates, depending on your interpretation, loopholes in the law to nonetheless profit from India’s exploding population and economy.
Second, while there have been reports of a steadily growing and upwardly mobile middle class in India since 2008, the data, especially at the end of 2020, tells a different story.
The worldwide Coronavirus pandemic pushed 32 million Indians out of the middle class, while the number of people who earn less than $2 per day increased by 75 million.
India, despite having the third-largest economy in the world, also counts nearly one-third of its entire population as impoverished.
It’s difficult to imagine, then, that Walmart – even if India’s economic regulations did allow for greater foreign retail presence – would be able to operate something like a Supercenter.
Back in 2012, when some economic regulations relaxed a bit, Walmart did apply to the Indian government for permission to open some branded stores.
However, nothing came of it. Walmart was wise to enter India in the way they have in 2018, “infiltrating,” so to speak, and establishing their foothold through the existing retail network.
To know more about Walmart, you can also read our related posts on whether or not Walmart is in Japan, if there are Walmarts in NZ, and if Walmart is in the UK or London.
Conclusion
Walmart does not have any company-branded stores in India, owing to strict national laws against foreign retailers.
However, Walmart circumvented those laws by purchasing a controlling stake in the Indian-founded company Flipkart, an e-commerce and wholesale warehouse company.
Walmart’s worldwide growth continues, despite the many challenges of sporadic economic instability.