Amazon India Reportedly Planning to Open Grocery Stores, Starting With Bengaluru

After launching its Prime service in India last year, online retail giant Amazon has now been tipped to be planning to open grocery stores in India. The company is reportedly mulling expanding its presence in physical retail stores globally and in India particularly, it is expected to open its first grocery store in Bengaluru.

Amazon, which recently sought permission from Indian government for food retail through online portals as well as brick-and-mortar outlets, is interested in opening its first grocery store in Bengaluru, a person familiar with the matter told The New York Times. Interestingly, the internal code name given to the company's grocery project in India is 'Project Everest', as per the report.

The report adds that Amazon is "excited by the Indian government's efforts to encourage foreign investment in a 'stronger supply chain'."

Considering that Jeff Bezos announced last year that the company plans to invest over $5 billion in the country, the company might be looking to expand aggressively in India through physical stores going ahead.

Separately, the company has also been said to be interested in expanding its presence in terms of physical retail stores worldwide, according to people familiar with the matter, as per the report. As per the report, the company is mulling to open physical stores for items such as furniture that are usually bought by people after getting their feel in person.

However, as per a person familiar with the matter, Amazon has been considering the use of virtual or augmented reality to give users an idea of how a particular item will feel like in their homes, The New York Times reports.