Zepto eyes large orders with dark store expansion
BENGALURU , MUMBAI : Quick-commerce company Zepto is looking to set up bigger dark stores so it can stock a larger assortment of products, according to two people aware of the company's plans. The development comes as the online grocery platform seeks to move big-time into non-grocery delivery, and as investors queue up to buy a stake in the four-year-old startup.
Over the coming months, Zepto will look to set up one or two big storage facilities in major cities. These will serve as hubs as the company moves to deliver, within minutes, high-value items such as electronics, appliances, gifting items, and even luxury goods like gaming consoles, the two people said on condition of anonymity.
To be sure, Zepto already offers some of these categories in a few cities. However, larger stores will allow the storage of more stock-keeping units, which wouldn’t be possible in smaller grocery-focused stores.
The idea is also to replenish goods in the smaller dark stores that exist within a 2-km radius in most major cities as per demand, one of the persons quoted above said. “Zepto is slowly adopting Swiggy Mall’s and Blinkit’s model of maintaining specific stores for non-grocery items and a greater number of small stores for fast-moving goods," this person said.
“While Zepto is making strides in ramping up e-commerce sales, its focus will remain on quick commerce." According to the second person cited earlier, Zepto had even considered creating a separate tab in the smartphone application for e-commerce orders, much like Swiggy’s Mall feature, but decided against it keeping in mind its commitment to 10-minute grocery orders. Zepto currently operates roughly 250 dark stores across major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and
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