METRO Cash & Carry Opens Its 4th Outlet in home city Bengaluru

·         METRO’s 18th wholesale distribution centre in India to open in ETA Namma Mall, Binnypet

·         METRO’s 4th outlet in the city will reach out to small traders, restaurants and offices in West Bengaluru

·         Reaffirms its promise of providing highly specialised business-to-business assortment and service solutions

Mumbai, July 2nd, 2015:  German business-to-business wholesaler METRO Cash & Carry is expanding its presence in its home city of Bengaluru, by opening its 4th wholesale outlet in the city at ETA Namma Mall in Binnypet, in the central business district of the city. The new Binnypet outlet will be METRO’s 18th in the country, and reaffirms the company’s plans to expand its network of distribution centres to about 50 by 2020.

METRO Cash & Carry India chose Bengaluru as its home base 12 years ago, when it pioneered the Cash-&-Carry wholesale concept in India by opening its first two outlets in Yeshwanthpur and Kanakapura Road.  Since then, the company has expanded to 18 outlets in all, including a third one in Bengaluru which opened on Hosur Road, in December 2013.  Through its network of distribution centres, METRO aims to address the business needs of small and mid-sized traders, caterers, restaurants and hotels as well as offices and institutions.

METRO has made an investment of close to INR 70 crores in the brand new wholesale distribution centre at Binnypet, which is spread across approximately 60,000 square feet and offers free parking for all its business customers.  The new outlet will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.  The Binnypet outlet – like the Hosur Road outlet opened in December 2013 – follows what METRO terms the ‘Genesis’ format of distribution centres, which were devised specifically to localise METRO’s offerings and realise the Indian market potential. 

The new outlet will carry a highly specialised assortment and services, such as rice and commodities, fresh produce and fresh-baked goodies from an in-house bakery, as well as a highly versatile non-food range of appliances, apparel and stationery, to cater to the specific needs of the local business market.  METRO has devised specialized solutions for its customer base, including special professional packs, on-floor assistance, product expertise, one-to-one customer service and delivery solutions through third-party partners.  Besides, the company has also built a reliable network of local small and medium-sized suppliers, including farmers who provide fresh produce to METRO’s Collection Centre in Malur, near Bengaluru.

Speaking at a press conference announcing the new METRO outlet, Mr. Rajeev Bakshi, Managing Director, METRO Cash and Carry India expressed gratitude to Bengaluru’s business customers.  “We are immensely proud to be opening our latest outlet in our home city of Bengaluru.  This city welcomed us as a cash-&-carry pioneer over a decade ago, and today, with the support of our local customers and suppliers, the METRO brand is a trusted and recognised one, not just in Karnataka but across the country.  In fact, we are currently celebrating our 12^th Anniversary in India, and our Bengaluru customers can look forward to a bonanza of unbeatable celebratory offers at METRO, as always.”

Mr. Bakshi added, “We continue to strive for the highest standards of excellence in all our wholesale solutions, so we can make our customers’ buying experience METRO world-class.  We also are privileged to contribute to Karnataka’s economy, through increased employment, business partnerships and community engagement”.

METRO’s focus on quality products and solutions has been recognised through the CII National Award for Food Safety 2013, for adhering to the highest standards of food safety and quality processes.  In fact, METRO is the only modern trade wholesaler today that is compliant with the stringent international HACCP norms of quality and food safety, with all 16 of its existing outlets fully HACCP-certified.

Contributing to the growth of the local economy, METRO has created another 300 local jobs (150 direct and 150 indirect) with the new outlet. The workforce at METRO’s Binnypet outlet has undergone in-depth and rigorous on-the-job training in the various operational aspects of the wholesale business, and is all set to serve the demands of its clientele.

About METRO Cash & Carry

METRO Cash & Carry is represented in 26 countries with over 750 self-service wholesale stores. With a headcount of about 117,000 employees worldwide, the wholesale company achieved sales of about € 31 billion in the financial year 2013/2014.  METRO Cash & Carry entered the Indian market in 2003. The company currently operates seventeen wholesale distribution centres across the cities of Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Ludhiana, Jaipur, Jalandhar, Zirakpur, Amritsar, Vijayawada and Indore. The new Bengaluru wholesale centre will be the company’s eighteenth in the country.