Bengaluru, Aug 19 (IANS): Flipkart Wholesale, the digital B2B marketplace of India's homegrown Flipkart Group, on Thursday announced its plans to more than triple its geographical footprint in the country to close to 2,700 cities, with an aim to make business easier and bring prosperity to lakhs of small businesses and 'kiranas' across India.

Launched in September 2020, Flipkart Wholesale has witnessed strong growth in the first half of 2021, spearheaded by the adoption of e-commerce by retailers and kiranas, said a company statement.

E-commerce adoption by kiranas on Flipkart Wholesale doubled in January-June this year compared to last year. This is projected to see 180 per cent growth in July-December 2021, as against the same period last year.

Flipkart Wholesale has also seen a surge in suppliers which have come onboard on the digital B2B marketplace. The supplier base is expected to grow 58 per cent in 2021, which will further boost the local business ecosystem as well as livelihoods.

The company recently rebranded its Best Price cash-and-carry business which it had acquired from Walmart India in 2020, while staying committed to the growth and prosperity of kiranas in India through an omnichannel business model.

Adarsh Menon, Senior Vice President and Head, Flipkart Wholesale, said, "Despite the challenges induced by the pandemic, we have seen a strong response from kiranas which are now realising the benefits of digitisation and warming up to e-commerce as the go-to means of purchase. We will continue to leverage the technology strengths from the Flipkart Group and enhance the livelihoods and local supplier ecosystems across the country."

Flipkart Wholesale witnessed 17 per cent growth in its kirana customer base in January-June 2021 compared to the same period last year.

The kirana customer base is projected to further grow by 33 per cent in July-December 2021, compared to the same period last year, said the statement.