CIOInsider India Magazine
Flipkart Minutes to Launch 800 Dark Stores by the End of 2025
Flipkart Minutes, the quick commerce arm of e-commerce major Flipkart, is aiming to open 800 dark stores by the end of 2025, the company’s group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy says.
“We launched this product around nine months ago. We launched with just about 100 stores and are already close to 300,” Kalyan adds.
The quick commerce companies in the country have been rapidly expanding their dark store network, even if it means burning more cash than earlier.
Zomato-owned Blinkit had around 1,007 stores at the end of December 2023. Swiggy Instamart operated around 705.
While Swiggy Instamart decided to take its dark store count to 1,000 by March, Blinkit aims to double it to 2,000 by December.
Tata-owned BigBasket has also forayed into the quick delivery model and had set its target to take the dark store count to 800 by March.
Zepto, the second-largest player, currently operates around 750 stores and aims to take it to 1,200 soon. It is also working on improving its financials as it aims to raise money through an IPO this year.
Flipkart, owned by Walmart, was relatively late to enter the scene. It launched Minutes from Bangalore in August last year. However, it has rapidly expanded to major cities now. It is also offering highest discounts on most products, to gain the market share.
According to BofA Global Research, the price points of electronics on Minutes are attractive as compared to the peers, likely due to Flipkart’s core strength in sourcing.
In big cities, it offers delivery of products within 45 minutes. However, this is expected to come down to 15-30 minutes soon
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Moreover, the company is also experimenting with the model in Mexico, where it already has a large network of around 4,000 stores. In big cities, it offers delivery of products within 45 minutes. However, this is expected to come down to 15-30 minutes soon.
