Amazon says its India business is hit worst by coronavirus pandemic

BENGALURU : Amazon.com Inc. said its India operations were the worst affected by the covid-19 pandemic as the government ordered the company to halt sales of almost all items but groceries during a 40-day lockdown.

“I think the biggest impact internationally has been in India where, of course, similar to all companies, we’re now only fulfilling essential goods such as grocery; so that’s cut back a lot on our offering and we will further expand when the Indian government announces that we’re allowed to resume operations. So we’re in a bit of a holding pattern, except for grocery in India,” said Brian T. Olsavsky, senior vice-president and chief financial officer, in an earnings call.

In India, e-commerce firms such as Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart have been allowed to deliver essential goods during the lockdown that is now extended by two more weeks from 4 May.