7,500 dark stores, 100+ cities: Quick commerce fuels a new urban asset class

India’s accelerating shift towards quick commerce is quietly transforming the country’s urban real estate landscape, with dark stores emerging as one of the fastest-growing asset classes across cities.

Fuelled by the rapid expansion of e-commerce and hyperlocal delivery platforms, the number of dark stores in India is projected to rise to around 7,500 by 2030, nearly three times the current count of about 2,500. The push is being driven by platforms racing to shrink delivery timelines from hours to minutes.

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As of October 2025, India had approximately 2,525 dark stores spread across more than 100 cities, collectively occupying close to 13 million square feet of space, according to a Savills India report released on December 22.

Dark stores are small-format warehouses designed exclusively for online fulfilment, typically ranging from 3,000 to 8,000 square feet. They are strategically located near densely populated residential neighbourhoods to enable ultra-fast deliveries of groceries, essentials and other daily-use products.

Tier 1 cities continue to dominate the dark store ecosystem. Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi-NCR together account for 68 percent of the total store count and nearly 9 million square feet of occupied space, the report noted.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, meanwhile, host around 800 dark stores, or 32 percent of the total, spanning roughly 4 million square feet. While their share remains smaller, these markets are increasingly being seen as the next phase of growth for quick commerce operators.

Among individual markets, Delhi-NCR leads with about 400 dark stores, followed by Bengaluru with around 360, Mumbai with 250 and Chennai with close to 190.

Srinivas N, Managing Director, Industrial & Logistics at Savills India, said quick commerce is no longer limited to groceries and daily essentials. Leading platforms are steadily expanding into higher-value categories such as premium personal care, lifestyle products and time-sensitive medical supplies.

According to him, Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities will continue to anchor this expansion, while Tier 3 cities are likely to emerge as high-potential markets, particularly in secondary and suburban micro-markets that offer a balance between affordability and accessibility.

Moneycontrol report further added that demand for dark store space is beginning to outstrip supply, creating a sizeable opportunity for developers and investors.

Arvind Nandan, Managing Director, Research & Consulting at Savills India, said that most existing dark stores currently operate out of repurposed properties originally designed for traditional retail or commercial use. These include ground-floor shops, small offices, restaurants and grocery stores.

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Such spaces often come with structural and design limitations, including constraints on automation, vertical storage, refrigeration infrastructure and safety compliance. Poor insulation and layout inefficiencies can also drive up operational and maintenance costs over time.

With the number of dark stores expected to triple by 2030, Nandan said developers and investors have an opportunity to create long-term value by developing purpose-built dark store facilities or retrofitting underutilised retail and commercial assets to meet the evolving needs of quick commerce players.