BigBasket To Invest $100 Million To Reduce Delivery Times, Set Up Vending Machines And Small Distribution Centres

Bangalore-based the online grocery platform BigBasket has plans to invest $100 million in strengthening its distribution centres to reduce delivery time and ensure quality of dairy and fresh produce, reports Press Trust of India (PTI).

The company is looking to set up vending machines and smaller distribution centres across various cities it operates in. It currently is functional in 25 cities.

BigBasket has set up 200 vending machines at various sites in Bangalore city and plans to open 2000 more in the next year across ten large cities. These machines can be used by customers to buy groceries by accessing their BB app on their smart devices.

These machines are automatic and unmanned. The only human intervention takes place when it they are being restocked. The vending machines will be placed within apartment buildings and office complexes to lower the risk of vandalism.

As part of strengthening its distribution centres and enabling two-hour delivery in top 10 cities, BigBasket is ramping up its current 18 large and 80 smaller distribution centres to 20 large and 100 smaller ones by June this year.

Vipul Parekh, BigBasket co-founder said “We have been re-engineering our supply chain to allow for faster delivery to our resellers and to reduce the time from farm to our customers. This coupled with an expansion in our range of private label products will create a solid foundation for growth in both revenue and profitability.”