The Competition Commission of India has granted approval for Shoreline International Holdings LLC, which is a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., to purchase a stake in Flipkart, a major Indian e-commerce platform owned by Walmart. The acquisition will involve Shoreline subscribing to shares of Flipkart Pvt Ltd, as well as establishing a service arrangement between an affiliate of Shoreline and a subsidiary of Flipkart to provide specific services.
Flipkart, a company primarily engaged in wholesale cash and carry operations and operating as an e-commerce marketplace in India, saw an increase in its valuation following investments from Google and Walmart. Google's investment of $350 million in Flipkart was part of an extended funding round that raised the marketplace's total funding to $950 million, resulting in a valuation of $36 billion. This investment by Google was aimed at supporting Flipkart in expanding its business into various sectors such as fintech, quick commerce, and existing key categories like Cleartrip and Shopsy.
Through the proposed investment and Cloud collaboration with Google, Flipkart aims to enhance its digital infrastructure and expand its services to cater to a broader customer base in India. This strategic move is expected to contribute to the growth and modernization of Flipkart's operations, ensuring better customer service and facilitating the platform's expansion into new ventures and categories.