Walmart-owned e-commerce firm Flipkart on Wednesday said it has expanded its presence in Bengal by adding a 2.2-lakh-square-feet fulfilment centre at Dankuni in Hooghly district.

With the new facility, Flipkart now has more than 10 lakh square feet of warehousing space in the state covering seven fulfilment centres, besides 152 delivery hubs.

The e-commerce firm in a statement said that the new facility will offer nearly 3,500 direct jobs and will cater to the needs of both Flipkart and Myntra customers in the eastern region.

It will also help sellers offer a wider selection and enable faster deliveries not just in Bengal, but also the neighbouring states, Flipkart said.

Bengal has the 10th largest seller base for Flipkart with 10,000 sellers. Flipkart said it has created around 50,000 jobs in the state. Flipkart also plans to set up an integrated logistics hub at Haringhata in Nadia district.

The ramping up of the supply chain infrastructure comes amid the rising demand for e-commerce amid the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

More than 52 per cent of its consumers are from smaller cities which the e-commerce firm said signifies a rising adoption of online sales.

“We are strengthening our supply chain presence in Bengal and this expansion will support small and medium businesses in the state while creating thousands of employment opportunities. E-commerce has helped serve citizens with a safe and sanitised supply chain and we will continue to serve the ecosystem that includes sellers, MSMEs, kirana partners and thousands of brands that we work with,” said Hemant Badri, senior vice-president, supply chain, Flipkart.

The e-commerce firm also said that it has a partnership with Biswa Bangla to showcase traditional Bengali handicrafts, fabrics and artifacts on Flipkart Samarth.

According to JLL, demand for warehousing space in the country is expected to increase in 2021 and reach around 350 lakh square feet of absorption.