Flipkart Minutes pips Swiggy Instamart in dark store count: Report

As the competition intensifies in the quick commerce sector Flipkart Minutes has pipped Swiggy Instamart in darkstore count across Indias top 10 quickcommerce cities Flipkart Minutes has 627 stores compared to Swiggys 615 within two years of entering the segment according to news agency PTIThe 10 cities together account for 3536 dark stores with Blinkit leading at 969 stores followed by Zepto at 828 Flipkart Minutes at 627 Swiggy Instamart at 615 and BigBasket at 497 a CLSA report on Quick Commerce Map saidDark store refers to a warehouse or a fulfiment centre It does not offer retail facilities to the public unlike other retail outlets The CLSA figures are indicative rather than precise counts and exclude Amazon and JioMart from the total store countHowever it highlights a rapidly changing competitive landscape in which Blinkit retains a sizeable network lead while Flipkart Minutes is gaining ground on Swiggy and the gap among the nexttier players narrowsThough the gap between Swiggy Instamart and Flipkart Minutes is narrow it is still significant as it indicates the rapid expansion of Flipkarts quickcommerce business even as established players continue to deepen their networks Flipkart Minutes has the highest store count in KolkataFlipkart Minutes lead over Swiggy becomes particularly notable in markets such as Kolkata where it operates 72 stores compared with 35 for Swiggy In Delhi it has 102 stores against Swiggys 69 while in Mumbai the two have 67 and 62 respectively according to the CLSA reportSwiggy however is still expanding its network According to the broader analysis it added the highest number of dark stores among the top three players across the 10 cities over the past month suggesting that the company is pursuing a densification strategy in established markets as per PTIBlinkit retains the top spotBlinkit has the largest store footprint in six of the 10 cities including Bengaluru Delhi Pune Gurgaon Lucknow and Ahmedabad while Zepto leads in Hyderabad Mumbai and ChennaiQuick commerce players are deepening their presence in existing markets while selectively expanding into new geographies Eternals Blinkit continues to lead this expansion In newly entered markets players appear to be adopting a measured rollout approach with relatively smaller dark store footprints as they test local demand and unit economics before scaling CLSA report saidAt the same time emerging players are increasingly targeting geographies that remain underpenetrated by incumbents seeking to establish an early foothold and secure firstmover advantages it said adding Within the top 10 cities Flipkart Minutes has already surpassed Swiggy Instamart in both dark store count and pincode coverageBengaluru is the largest market for quick deliveryBengaluru is the largest quickcommerce market in the sample with 735 stores across the tracked platforms Blinkit has 180 stores there narrowly ahead of Zepto at 177 while Swiggy Instamart has 143 and Flipkart Minutes 119 Delhi follows with 531 stores where Blinkit has a more substantial lead at 188 compared with 112 for Zepto 102 for Flipkart Minutes and 69 for Swiggy the report saidBeyond the largest cities the competitive picture is more fragmented Blinkits 969 stores across the top 10 give it a clear network lead while Zeptos 828store footprint puts it firmly in second place But Flipkart Minutes ability to move ahead of Swiggy at the aggregate level suggests that the contest for the next tier of scale is becoming increasingly closeThe report highlights the importance of store density rather than city presence alone A larger network allows quickcommerce platforms to position inventory closer to consumers potentially supporting faster deliveries broader assortment and better utilisation of logistics infrastructure as per PTIHowever newer players are increasingly looking beyond established markets targeting underpenetrated pincodes and smaller cities where they can build an early customer base before the established players forayBlinkit remains best positioned on geographic breadth Its broader network extends well beyond the top 10 cities with the company maintaining an exclusive presence in more than 180 cities according to the analysis That reach could give it a firstmover advantage as quick commerce expands beyond Indias largest urban centres it saidWith inputs from PTI