METRO Cash & Carry India opens its 29th ‘METRO Wholesale’ in Visakhapatnam

Mumbai: METRO Cash & Carry today launched its first ‘METRO Wholesale’ Distribution Center (store) at the port city of Visakhapatnam. The new store, which is its 29th METRO wholesale store in India, was inaugurated by Smt. GolaganiHari Venkata Kumari, Mayor of Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation, along with Arvind Mediratta MD & CEO, METRO Cash & Carry India in the presence of government officials, local dignitaries, key supplier partners, and senior METRO leadership team in India. The new store is the second METRO Wholesale in the state of Andhra Pradesh after Vijaywada.

METRO has implemented a stringent 30 step safety measure at the store as part of its commitment towards providing a safe and hygienic environment for employees and customers. 100% of METRO’sin-store staff including direct employees, promoters, housekeeping, security staff, and drivers have been vaccinated with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine at its Visakhapatnam store.

Spread over 50000 sq.ft., the Visakhapatnam store is strategically located at Paradesipalam village, Madhurawada highway, and stocks a wide range of globally benchmarked quality assortment of over 7500 products in both food and non-food category. The new store will help generate close to 500 direct and indirect employment opportunities for the local and state economy. The store is integrated with METRO’s B2B e-commerce app for traders and will offer the Kirana customers the convenience of ordering online from the METRO store and get stocks delivered at their doorstep through GPS-enabled trucks. The new store offers METRO’s promise of- 5-star quality, the wholesale price, and everything under one roof.

The store will initially cater to over 50,000 registered business customers which include kiranas and traders; Hotels, Restaurants & Caterers (HoReCa); Services, Companies, and Offices (SCOs), and self-employed professionals. Apart from Madhurawada district, the store will benefit business customers from neighboring regions such as Sallur, Parwathipuram, Boballi, GajapathiNagaram, S Kota, Aruku, Garwidi, Chepurapalli, Srikakulam town, Amudalavalsa, Rajam, Palakonda, Narsanapeta, Tekalli, Palasa, Sompeta amongst others.

Reiterating METRO’s commitment to towards sustainable growth in India, Mr. Arvind Mediratta, MD and CEO said, “Andhra Pradesh is a priority market for us; as we increase our footprint in the state, we will positively contribute towards the state’s development by creating newer employment opportunities, upskilling local talent, strengthening local sourcing, and implementing METRO’s globally benchmarked quality and best practices to help the local economy grow. We are launching our store amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and we stay committed to our store format and to our mission of sustainable and profitable expansion in India. We will continue investing to add more stores in the state, provide a diverse product assortment and offer innovative digital solutions for an enhanced omni-channel experience for our customers.

He further added, “As Champion for Independent Business, we have always been vocal about empowering the independent businesses, small traders, and kiranas in India. Through our Smart Kirana program, we have helped over 2000 traditional kiranas transform with modernization and digitalization solutions to compete in the modern retail landscape. As an organization, we are focused on transforming from a multi-specialist offline player to a B2B Omni-channel player focused on kiranas.”

As part of our Smart Kirana program, two kirana stores in Visakhapatnam- SKML Best Price (550 ft) and Anu General Stores (1500 ft) have already been remodeled from a traditional shop into a modern open format store. Apart from modernizing the layout, the store has been upgraded with digital solutions and the owners have been educated about planogram, inventory management, and quality management to help them garner more footfall and profitability for their business.

Being ‘Champion for Independent Business’, METRO has always supported the local business eco-system; 99% of products METRO sells are all locally sourced from MSMEs & local suppliers. The Visakhapatnam store also providing a robust platform to several indigenous regional brands such as Harmony Range (Atta, Besan, maida), Amul Rice, Priya Range of oils, Fresh Choice (Bread and Sweet Roll range of articles), Swastiks Blended spices range, and Visakha Ghee amongst others, to cater to the local consumption needs.

The store also has 200 plus varieties of rice, pulses, flours, spices, oil & grains, dry fruits, and an array of other commodities. The store will also offer a variety of METRO’s Own brand products that are competitively priced to provide a value proposition to our customers. In addition, the store will house a multitude of products in the non-food segment such as electronics, apparel, textiles, households, stationery, home improvements, footwear, luggage, etc. Apart from the wide array of products, customers will receive expertise and assistance from METRO’s commodity experts and access to a loyalty program designed to make their buying experience more convenient and affordable.