Can Flipkart Crack Food Delivery?

Flipkart Wants A Piece Of Food Delivery, Can It Succeed?

By Pritha Pahari

What?

Flipkart is preparing to enter India's food delivery market, its first serious push into a completely new consumer category beyond e-commerce.

The company hasn't launched the service yet and is still working out the basics: whether to build a standalone app or route orders through the government-backed ONDC network.

"Flipkart is already established in e-commerce, and they're trying to get into fast-growing categories. This fits that pattern," Sandeep Abhange, Research Analyst, Consumer & Midcaps, told The Core.

He added that the company's own leadership has downplayed the scale of the effort so far: "According to the CEO, there isn't much focus on this yet. They're experimenting."

On logistics, Flipkart isn't starting from zero. It already runs Flipkart Minutes, its quick-commerce arm, which operates more than 800 dark stores concentrated in metro and tier-1 cities.

"In terms of logistics, they're already into quick commerce, and they're trying to combine synergies," Abhange said. "It's not a big problem in metro cities. The setup is already there. They'll just add delivery partners for food delivery."

Why?

The category is growing fast. India's food delivery market is currently worth around $9 billion and is projected to reach nearly $25 billion by FY30, according to Jefferies estimates. That kind of growth is hard for a company like Flipkart to ignore.

But it's also a market with just two real players. Zomato holds roughly 57% of gross order value, and Swiggy around 43%; together, they control more than 90% of the organised market, according to Datum Intelligence's tracking.

"It's a difficult category to break into," said Satish Meena, Founder of Datum Intelligence. "Taking share away from them is difficult. They're both gourmet and affordable, and what they give customers, above all, is convenience."

It's also expensive to compete in. "This is a $20-25 billion opportunity, but it needs a lot of cash," Meena said, pointing to how both Zomato and Swiggy spent years burning money before turning profitable, largely by charging restaurants commissions of around 30% per order. Uber Eats tried and failed here before selling its India business to Zomato back in 2020.

New challengers are already testing different models. Rapido has launched Ownly, a food delivery app that charges restaurants zero commission and instead earns from a flat delivery fee paid by customers. Swiggy itself has launched Toing, a cheaper, no-frills version of its main app aimed at price-conscious students and young professionals. "Rapido is trying to build on lower commissions for restaurants. How that goes, we'll have to see," Meena said. "It's very early. Let's see."

Why It Matters?

The pressure point for all of this is the restaurant, not just the customer.

"Restaurants need footfall, through dine-out, or order volumes, because commissions are so high," Meena said.

"If volumes are low, platforms will have to offer lower commissions. Restaurants don't have much leverage today, but with more platforms entering, they'll have more options."

For Flipkart specifically, the advantage isn't awareness or capital, both of which it already has through Flipkart Minutes and its metro and tier-1 city base. "The customer is already there. That's not the problem," Meena said.

Execution will be key for success. "Flipkart isn't an unknown name, and it depends on whether they can provide real value. Food delivery takes time to build. It's a time-consuming business."

Analysts say its worth watching a well-funded, well-known company entering a market that two others spent a decade building, at a moment when the market itself is growing quickly.

Whether Flipkart can turn its existing base into real food delivery share, and whether that changes pricing and commissions for restaurants, is still an open question. As Meena put it, it's early days.

Building Wealth For A Longer Life

Longer lives. Rising costs. Market volatility. Uncertain returns.

The assumptions that once shaped retirement planning are being challenged, and the rules of long-term wealth creation are changing with them.

The Core, in partnership with Spotify Unlock, invites a select group of senior leaders, founders and investors to a closed-door conversation on Building Wealth for a Longer Life, led by Saurabh Mukherjea, Founder & CIO, Marcellus Investment Managers.

Limited seats. By invitation only.

India's Urea Expansion Risks Worsening An Old Problem

By Prasanna Mohanty

What?

India is planning to add more urea plants, with an aim to a combined capacity of 10 MT.  Unveiling the National Investment Policy for Urea-2026 for Atmanirbhar Bharat (NIPU-2026), the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers. 

The ministry argued the policy was necessary because urea demand had risen, the earlier policy expired in 2019 and it had received proposals for new plants. 

It also said revised cost structures would save Rs 250 crore in foreign exchange outgo for every new plant compared with those set up under the 2012 policy.

The policy appears timely. Urea prices doubled in April after the Iran war before moderating in June as China resumed exports. India imports 18-22% of its finished urea, spending $5.2 billion in FY26.

However, expanding domestic production may not be the right response when excessive urea use has already created soil nutrient imbalance and environmental damage, believe experts 

Studies show 75% of the nitrogen supplied through urea escapes into the environment, polluting soil, water and air.

Why? 

More gas-based urea plants mean entrenching use and import dependence for its main feedstock, natural gas or LNG. 

A 2025 parliamentary panel said LNG accounts for 90% of urea production costs, while a 2026 study by the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER) estimated that 80% of the LNG consumed by Indian urea plants is imported. India itself imports about half of its LNG requirements.

India’s import dependence on LNG has rapidly risen in recent years from 27.8% in FY12 to 50.1% in FY26, according to Petroleum Planning and Analysis Cell (PPAC) data, driven by greater use of gas and declining domestic production.

The problem is unlikely to disappear even if new plants are built. 

India currently consumes about 40 MT urea annually, growing gradually over time since the first urea plant was set up in Sindri in 1959. 

This makes it the country's primary source of nitrogen, one of the three key nutrients required for crop growth.

The usage has been encouraged for decades by a subsidy regime that keeps prices artificially low.

The result is excessive nitrogen use. 

Nandula Raghuram, Chair Emeritus of the International Nitrogen Initiative, believes India should focus on reducing demand instead of expanding supply.

"It is high time our policies focus on demand management, rather than continuing supply addiction of urea,” Raghuram told The Core. 

What can India do to reduce dependence on urea? 

Cut Lead Review From Hours To Minutes

Sign up for a free trial of Attio, the agentic CRM.

Ask Attio to build a daily workflow that surfaces the deals that need your attention today, like anything with a stage change, a recent reply, or a new signal in the last 24 hours.

Review your pipeline in Claude, synced live from Attio via MCP.

That's it.

Try Attio Now

$20.6 billion

That's what the Indian Premier League is worth in 2026, up more than 11% from last year, according to U.S. investment bank Houlihan Lokey. It marks a second straight year of double-digit growth for the world's richest Twenty20 competition.

Context: Since its launch in 2008, the IPL has built a commercial model around broadcast rights, sponsorship, merchandising and franchise investment. This year, two high-profile ownership changes underlined how much investors are willing to pay for a seat at the table.

Blackstone, Bolt Ventures, Aditya Birla Group and Times of India Group bought Royal Challengers Bengaluru for a league-record $1.78 billion in March.

Two months later, the Mittal family and Adar Poonawalla acquired Rajasthan Royals for $1.65 billion.

By The Numbers: The IPL's standalone brand value rose 10.3% to $4.3 billion, with reigning champions Bengaluru holding the top spot among franchises at $312 million.

Houlihan Lokey director Harsh Talikoti said franchise valuations have hit new highs, private capital is coming in faster, and the league's commercial base keeps widening. The IPL, he added, sits at a rare intersection of sport, media and consumer opportunity with a growing global audience to back it up.

No Fault In Air India Fuel Switch?

The government has told the Parliament that a detailed examination by Boeing had reportedly found no abnormality in the fuel control switch of an Air India Boeing 787, after its pilots had flagged a possible defect on a London-Bengaluru flight in February.

Overview: Deputy Civil Aviation Minister Murlidhar Mohol told the Rajya Sabha that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation had ordered manufacturer-level testing of the fuel control switch locking mechanism in Seattle as part of routine safety checks.

Further inspection of the complete thrust control module at the manufacturer's facility is underway, he said.

Setup: The incident has kept scrutiny on the switches, which regulate jet fuel flow to a Dreamliner's engines, following the investigation into the Air India 787 crash near Ahmedabad in June last year, which killed 260 people.

Paper Leaks, Harsher Punishment

The Lok Sabha cleared the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Amendment Bill, 2026, by a voice vote, amid Opposition uproar.

The legislation imposes stricter penalties for paper leaks, including up to ten years’ imprisonment and heavier fines, and mandates time-bound investigations plus trials in special fast-track courts.

Catch Up Quick: Meanwhile, CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the government had still not delivered written assurances on withdrawing FIRs against student protesters despite the Tuesday deadline. 

The Shift: Separately, the CBI filed a chargesheet against 13 accused in the NEET-UG 2026 paper-leak case. The list includes three NTA subject experts along with coaching-linked individuals and intermediaries; all remain in judicial custody. The agency cited 360 witnesses, 422 documents and 43 material objects. On Wednesday, a designated fast-track court took the chargesheet on record and fixed the next hearing for August 3rd.

Old Vehicles May Need Fixes, Says Govt

Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari reportedly told the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday that some vehicles manufactured before 2016 may need certain rubber parts and gaskets replaced when run on E20 petrol. However added that no issues were reported with drivability.

The Core had earlier reported on the growing consumer backlash against the government's E20 blended fuel programme, with concerns over compatibility issues, fuel system corrosion and reduced efficiency.

Catch Up Quick: Gadkari added that newer vehicles continued to meet emission norms on E20, and cars and two-wheelers needed no engine modifications.

Critical Moment: In a separate ruling that could expose automakers to greater liability, a consumer court earlier in the month ordered Maruti Suzuki to provide a new car to a customer who alleged mandatory E20 fuel had damaged his vehicle. Maruti Suzuki has said it will challenge the ruling.

Top Marks, No Takeoffs

Khajuraho Airport has just been crowned India's highest-rated airport. There's just one catch: it currently has no commercial flights.

Fast Facts: The Madhya Pradesh airport topped the Airports Authority of India's latest Customer Satisfaction Index, which ranks airports based on passenger feedback on everything from cleanliness and security to staff behaviour and waiting times. Aurangabad finished second, while Bhopal ranked third.

The irony is hard to miss. Scheduled commercial flights to Khajuraho were suspended in early July and are expected to remain off the runway through August and September, leaving an award-winning airport with virtually no passengers.

The ranking has also revived conversation of what exactly counts as success in India's aviation sector. 

Background: As The Core previously reported, India has spent years building regional airports under the UDAN scheme, but many remain severely underutilised because airlines struggle to operate commercially viable routes. In other words, the country has built airports faster than it has built demand.

India’s Contrast Between Weak Macros And Strong Micros

On Episode 935 of The Core Report, financial journalist Govindraj Ethiraj talks to Sachin Sawrikar, Managing Partner at Artha Bharat Investment Managers. We also feature an excerpt from our latest episode of How India’s Economy Works, featuring Electrical Engineer Sudhir Gera, Director of Operations at IEC Electric Power Ltd.

• India’s Contrast Between Weak Macros And Strong Micros

• IT Stocks Pick Up Pace As Investors Sell Off Global AI Majors

• Did Apple Miss Out On The AI Boom Or Stay Away From It, A Question Every Business Leader Should Ponder

• India Is Holding Back More Solar Power As Capacity Exceeds Transmission Infrastructure

• 46% Of NRI Property Owners In A Survey  Are Looking To Sell Their Properties Immediately 

• How Are Investors Responding To GIFT City Based Funds?

• How Are India’s Engineering Colleges Disconnected From The Job Market?