Best Buy to boost India tech hub staff by over 40%, says executive

The company, which launched its first tech centre in Bengaluru last year, currently has 350 staff in data and AI roles, with plans to expand to 500-550 employees

US electronics chain Best Buy plans to expand the headcount at its Indian tech centre by over 40 per cent in the next few months, a senior executive told Reuters, as more global corporations set up offices in the country to tap its growing talent pool.

The company, which opened its first tech centre, or global capability centre, in Bengaluru city last year, currently employs around 350 people in functions including data and artificial intelligence (AI) and is expected to grow to 500-550.

GCCs, once low-cost outsourcing hubs, have evolved in the last few years and now support their parent organisations in multiple functions such as daily operations, finance, and research and development.

"We will be hiring across the functions ... We will be doing a lot of digital and tech (hiring)," Nithya Subramanian, senior director data & AI COE, said on the sidelines of an event in the southern city of Chennai.

The firm, known for selling electronics such as laptops, kitchen appliances and cameras, is hiring for roles including AI engineer, software engineer and product manager in India, according to its LinkedIn page.

"Even if you look at the global strength, I think we are growing leaps and bounds in India," Subramanian said, noting that the Bengaluru office is Best Buy's largest tech hub and bigger than its three in the United States.

Best Buy operates more than 1,000 stores in the United States and Canada, where it employs over 85,000 people. It does not have retail operations in India.

The India expansion comes at a time when many global corporations are ramping up their operations in India. Reuters reported last month that Best Buy's peer Costco Wholesale plans to open its first India GCC.

The domestic GCC market is likely to grow as much as $105 billion by 2030, up from $64.6 billion in fiscal 2024, an industry report showed.