The number of dark stores in India is projected to grow threefold by 2030, reaching around 7,500 stores, driven by the rapid expansion of quick commerce and rising consumer demand for ultra-fast deliveries, according to a report by property consultant Savills India. As of October 2025, India has an estimated 2,525 operational dark stores spread across eight Tier- I cities and more than 100 Tier-II and III cities, occupying a total area of around 13 million square foot, Savills estimated.
However, recent commentaries by quick commerce companies highlight that the number of dark stores in India may be slightly higher. Eternal’s Blinkit has plans to expand its dark store network to 3,000 by March 2027. As of the September quarter (Q2FY26), it operated 1,816 dark stores, up from 1,544 in the previous quarter and 791 a year ago. Swiggy’s Instamart and Zepto operate more than 1,000 dark stores each and have aggressive expansion plans.
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance Retail has also accelerated investments in dark stores. As per a report, the retail giant opened 600 new dark stores in Q2, expanding its total network to more than 3,500 grocery outlets nationwide.
As per the Savills report, Tier- I cities comprising Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi-NCR account for 68% of the total store count with area of around 9 mn sq. ft, while around 100 Tier-II & III cities together consist of 800 stores (32% of the total) with area of 4 mn sq. ft.
The growth of dark stores has been fueled by the rising adoption of Q-Commerce and the hyperlocal concept, where consumers are expecting essentials to be delivered within minutes.
“Q-Commerce is rapidly evolving beyond its initial focus on groceries, food and daily essentials. Leading platforms are increasingly expanding into higher value categories such as premium personal care, luxury lifestyle products and time-critical medical supplies. Tier-I & II cities will lead this expansion, while Tier-III cities will emerge as high-potential markets for dark stores, with secondary and suburban micro markets playing a key role in balancing cost and accessibility," said Srinivas N, Managing Director, Industrial & Logistics, Savills India.
As per Savills, the National Capital Region (NCR) covering Delhi, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad hosts the largest concentration with 400 dark stores and with a total area of 2.0 mn sq. ft. Bengaluru has 360 dark stores with area of 1.9 mn sq. ft. followed by Mumbai with 250 dark stores with area of 1.4 mn sq. ft. and Chennai with 190 dark stores with area of 1.0 mn sq. ft.