Flipkart and Tata Consumer Products partner to launch unique distribution solution to provide essential commodities to Indian consumers

• Tata Consumer Products distributors to be onboarded as Flipkart Marketplace Sellers
• Will enable availability of essential food and beverage products in cities such as Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi 

Flipkart, India's homegrown e-commerce marketplace and Tata Consumer Products Limited are coming together to serve the nation amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic, enabling access to essential food and beverage products to Indian consumers. In a first of its kind, innovative distribution solution, Tata Consumer Products’ distributors will list as marketplace sellers on the Flipkart platform. Consumers can use the Flipkart platform to buy different combo packs of essential products such as beverages (Tata Tea and Coffee) and foods (Tata Sampann Spices, Pulses, and Nutri mixes) offered by Tata Consumer Products. 

The partnership has brought together two iconic Indian companies that have created a unique distribution model, leveraging their combined strengths to solve for Indian consumers' need for access to essential commodities as they stay indoors and practise social distancing.

The Tata Consumer Company distributors who are now listed online with Flipkart Marketplace, have undergone the Flipkart Training for Packaging and Order Fulfilment and will process orders as per the standard operating procedures set by Flipkart. 

Flipkart's marketplace supply chain will fulfill the orders by picking up these essentials combinations from Tata Consumer Company distributors and delivering them to customers using its extensive network of delivery executives. The partnership is already operational in Bengaluru, and the companies plan to expand these facilities in Mumbai and Delhi in the coming week and Tier 2 towns in the future. The product combinations have been curated keeping in mind specific needs of Indian consumers, while also offering them significant cost benefits.

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart Group, said, “Our partnership with Tata Consumer Products is a testament to our joint ambition and responsibility to serve the nation during these trying times. With the support of the government and local authorities, we are able to innovate unique distribution and supply chain models that enable us to serve communities in India. The synergies and capabilities of both Tata Consumer and Flipkart are complementary, and we are proud to enable an alternate business channel built on our marketplace model to deliver great value to consumers in these times of crisis.”

Sunil D’Souza, MD & CEO, Tata Consumer Products said: “Tata Consumer Products is committed to ensuring availability of our beverage and food brands to consumers across India, during this difficult time. This partnership with Flipkart provides an innovative way to set up a strong alternate distribution channel through our wide network. We are glad to be able to leverage each other’s strengths in order to make sure essential products reach the consumers who need them.”

As a homegrown e-commerce company, Flipkart has a deep understanding of the environment it operates in and has taken significant steps to ramp up its supply chain operations. The partnership with Tata Consumer Products Limited is timely and relevant in the context of the prevalent situation and will address the needs of consumers in these difficult times. Furthermore, it is in line with the Government's efforts to provide consumers with access to daily essentials and help maintain social distancing. Tata Consumer Products, part of Tata group was formed in February 2020 following the merger of Tata Global Beverages and the consumer products business of Tata Chemicals Limited.

About the Flipkart Group 

The Flipkart Group is one of India's leading digital commerce entities and includes group companies Flipkart, Myntra, and PhonePe. Started in 2007, Flipkart has enabled millions of consumers, sellers, merchants and small businesses to be a part of India's e-commerce revolution. With a registered customer base of over 200 million, offering over 150 million products across 80+ categories. Our efforts to democratize e-commerce in India, driving access and affordability, delight customers, create lakhs of jobs in the ecosystem and empower generations of entrepreneurs and MSMEs has driven us to innovate on many industry firsts. Flipkart is known for pioneering services such as Cash on Delivery, No Cost EMI and easy returns – customer-centric innovations that have made online shopping more accessible and affordable for millions of Indians. Together with Myntra, which holds a prominent position in the online fashion market, and PhonePe, India's fastest growing digital payments platform, the Flipkart Group is steering the transformation of commerce in India through technology.For more information, please contact media@flipkart.com

About Tata Consumer Products Limited

Tata Consumer Products Limited is a focused consumer products company uniting the principal food and beverage interests of the Tata Group under one umbrella. It was formed after a de-merger of the consumer products business of Tata Chemicals Limited into Tata Global Beverages Limited, under a Scheme of Arrangement which was sanctioned by the Tribunal in January 2020, the Scheme is operational from February 7, 2020. The Company’s portfolio of products includes tea, coffee, water, salt, pulses, spices, and ready-to-eat offerings. Tata Consumer Products is the 2nd largest branded tea company in the world and over 300 million servings of its beverage brands are consumed everyday across the globe. Its key beverage brands include Tata Tea, Tetley, Eight O’Clock Coffee, Tata Coffee Grand and Himalayan Natural Mineral Water. Its foods portfolio includes brands such as Tata Salt and Tata Sampann. In India, Tata Consumer Products has a reach of over 200 million households, giving it an unparalleled ability to leverage the Tata brand in consumer products. The Company has an annual turnover of ~Rs. 10,000 cr and employs 2,200+ people in its branded business workforce. For more information, please visit www.tataconsumer.com