Copyright indiatimes
Less than a year after joining Flipkart to spearhead its quick commerce foray, Flipkart Minutes, Dunzo cofounder Kabeer Biswas is leaving the Walmart-owned ecommerce major, people aware of the matter said. Biswas was vice president at Flipkart in charge of Minutes.Flipkart has now appointed Kunal Gupta to lead Minutes, as the company continues to push into the 10-minute delivery category dominated by Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto. Gupta is currently a vice president and heads the fashion business for Flipkart. He joined the ecommerce company back in 2014 as a category head for electronics.Biswas, came on board in January this year to head Flipkart with its instant delivery strategy after the cash-strapped Dunzo shut operations. He co-founded Dunzo in 2015 but stepped back from daily operations at the Reliance Retail-backed startup last year after it struggled with delayed salaries, fund crunch and a reset in leadership. His brief stint at Flipkart was viewed as an effort to bring seasoned execution to its quick commerce ambitions.In response to emailed queries by ET, a Flipkart spokesperson confirmed the development. “Kabeer Biswas, vice president, Flipkart Minutes has decided to move on from the company to pursue other opportunities. He has contributed notably to the growth of Flipkart Minutes and strengthening of customer experience. Kunal Gupta, vice president and a veteran at Flipkart, will now lead Flipkart Minutes to ensure a seamless continuation of the business and operations,” the spokesperson said.Also Read: Flipkart Minutes eyes profitability, higher order value via broader product mixBesides Gupta, Flipkart vice president Kanchan Mishra has also been in charge of Flipkart Minutes’ operations. The quick commerce unit rolls up to senior vice president Hemant Badri, who heads supply chain for Flipkart Group.Flipkart Minutes currently has around 500 dark stores on its network and is looking to increase its footprint to 800 such micro warehouses from where 10-minute deliveries are made by the end of this year. It is present across 19-20 cities in India.Biswas’s departure from the company comes shortly after the country’s festive shopping season ended. Sale events during this period account for almost 50% of annual gross merchandise value for ecommerce companies, and Flipkart also significantly indexed on Minutes for its festive sales.Also Read: Flipkart Minutes adds gourmet range to attract buyers seeking premium products
