Walmart Eyes India as Key Growth Driver for Its International Biz; Here’s Why

Walmart is pinning its hope on the Indian market, with a 1.4 billion population, to drive the next phase of its global expansion. President and chief executive of Walmart International, Kathryn McLay, said the American retail giant is eyeing to scale up ecommerce and omnichannel capabilities to fuel growth. 

“We see huge opportunities in that market, and we have been growing the Flipkart business,” McLay told Bernstein analyst at the Bernstein 41st Annual Strategic Decisions Conference 2025, according to the Business Standard. 

This comes at a time when the Indian e-commerce space is projected to grow at a 10.06% CAGR from $67.16 billion in 2025 to $98.55 billion by 2029, according to market research firm Statista’s report. The users penetration is also estimated to increase from 18.9% in 2025 to 25.5% by 2029, the study added. 

Apart from India, the American retail giant is betting big on China and Mexico to fuel its international business growth.

Also Read: Walmart Plans Fresh Hiring in US, India; Opens Doors for Laid-Off Workers Too

Walmart’s India Biz Bet 

Walmart has a strong presence in India’s ecommerce space, following its $16 billion acquisition of Flipkart in 2018. Besides scaling business in India, the retail giant has planned to increase to the sourcing of food and snacks from the country for its Indian customers in the US. It has set a goal to source $10 billion from India by 2027. 

“As part of our goal to increase exports from India to $ 10 billion per year by 2027, we are excited to bring a taste of India’s rich culture traditions to our customers in the US during the holiday season and beyond,” Executive VP, Sourcing, Andrea Albright said last year. 

Walmart’s bet comes at a time when IPO-bound Flipkart’s Internet arm has secured a fresh capital infusion of Rs 2,225 crore from its Singapore-based parent company. Prior to this, funds worth Rs 3,200 crore were infused by the parent company. Presently, Walmart has an 85% stake in Flipkart India.