Walmart sets up R&D centre in India for e-commerce biz

US-based retailer Walmart is setting up a research centre in India to develop technologies and solutions for its global e-commerce business.

The company, which already has an R&D centre in the Silicon Valley, is setting up another 'WalmartLabs' facility in Bangalore, with plans to hire up to 100 developers in New Delhi.

"At the centre in Bangalore, we will hire 100 developers and cater to Walmart's global e-commerce business," Walmart Global e-Commerce Senior Vice President Anand Rajaraman said.

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He said the centre is expected to be up and running by the end of this year, but declined to provide the investment details.

"We are currently recruiting developers who have deep knowledge and expertise in the areas of machine learning, social analytics and big data infrastructure," he said.

The team will lead and own projects to bring new e-commerce, social and mobile commerce offerings to the global marketplace, he added.

"Globally, Walmart has e-commerce businesses in a host of countries, including the US. However, online shopping option is not available to consumers in India yet," he said.

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In India, Walmart operates 13 wholesale cash-and-carry stores in India in partnership with Bharti Enterprises.

Globally, over 200 million visits are made to Walmart stores across 28 countries each week.

"New technologies generated from 'WalmartLabs' are designed to eliminate the boundaries between brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce to give shoppers a seamless experience anywhere and on any device," he said.