Furner, 52, took charge as chief of the world’s largest retail chain in February, replacing Doug McMillon. After a stint of 12 years in the position of chief executive, McMillon retired earlier this year. Furner, who began as an hourly store associate at Walmart in 1993, was heading the American unit of the Bentonville-headquartered chain earler. He also has experience of the China market.
Furner addressed a townhall meeting of Flipkart, owned by Walmart, in Bengaluru on Tuesday. He highlighted the importance of the India market and the relevance of growth and speed.
The Walmart CEO will attend business-to-business meetings in New Delhi over the next two days, sources said. Furner is expected to interact with entrepreneurs, sellers and retailers at the summit.
While Walmart has had a rough patch in India as foreign investment in multibrand retail has remained a closed chapter, the chain opted for a growth path in online commerce. Walmart acquired a controlling stake in Bengaluru-headquartered Flipkart in 2018 at $16 billion, making it the biggest buy in Indian ecommerce. American ecommerce major Amazon is considered Flipkart’s biggest rival in the India market.
Doubling up on sourcing from India is another big goal for Walmart. Former CEO Doug had announced last year that annual sourcing from India should touch $10 billion by 2027, up from $3 billion a few years ago. In his last visit to India, Doug had said that it’s rare to have such a large economy growing so fast. “We want to be part of that process,’’ he had said. The new CEO, Furner, shared a similar sentiment at the Fiipkart townhall.
 "Walmart CEO John Furner")