Ecommerce logistics company Xpressbees plans to use the Rs 85 crore it has raised from existing investors to build capacity in the northeast where it wants to encourage buyers from smaller towns to visit the service centres it is setting up to collect the goods they have ordered.The move comes at a time when online marketplace Flipkart has announced a partnership with Apollo Pharmacy network as a pickup point for e-commerce shipments. Amazon had partnered with Vakrangee for pick-up in rural and semi-urban areas last year.

The logistics arm of baby and mother care product e-tailer FirstCry was spun off last year into a separate entity to service third party ecommerce orders. The company is building its network in high margin regions with underwritten commitments from its e-commerce partners, starting with the seven sister states.