Walmart’s Flipkart eyes alcohol delivery foray with Indian startup, letters show

Walmart’s e-commerce platform Flipkart has partnered with a startup backed by spirits giant Diageo to deliver alcohol in two Indian states, according to government letters seen by Reuters, months after Amazon planned a similar foray.

Flipkart and Amazon’s interest in delivering alcohol in India marks a bold move to make inroads into an alcohol market that is worth $27.2 billion, according to estimates by IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

The local governments of eastern West Bengal and Odisha states have said that Flipkart can be associated as a technology service provider of Diageo-backed HipBar, an Indian alcohol home delivery mobile application.

Flipkart’s customers will be allowed to access HipBar’s application on the e-commerce giant’s platforms, according to the letters, which have not previously been reported.