Flipkart, a major online marketplace in the country, plans to invest 500 million US dollar in setting up a network of over 80 warehouses in the next five to six years, according to a report.

The company also plans to invest about 2.5 billion US dollar in logistics support systems. Half of the planned warehouses are expected to come up in tier 2 and tier 3 towns of India.

The online retailer recently opened a completely automated 2.2 lakh square feet fulfilment centre, its largest to date, in Gundla Pochampally on the outskirts of Hyderabad city.

The 17th of its kind in the country, the new warehouse, is equipped with a one kilometre long conveyer belt with intelligent systems which can ship 6,000 items in an hour. The centre is designed to offer easy access to e-commerce services for sellers and provide quicker services to customers. The newly opened fulfilment centre in Hyderabad is expected to ship 1.2 lakh products every day.

Flipkart sells more than 45 million products, including apparel, and sends out over 10 million shipments daily.