Saturday, 21 March, 2026
Quick Commerce Firms Hit Pause on Dark Store Expansion to Curtail Cash Burn
By Isha
After a year of rapid expansion in building dark stores, India’s quick commerce companies—including Swiggy Instamart and Zepto—are now slowing new store rollouts to rein in escalating cash burn. Swiggy added just 42 stores in Q2, totaling 1,062, while Zepto has paused expansion after reaching around 1,000. Only Bladeit-backed Blinkit is pushing forward, targeting 3,000 stores up from 1,544 as of June 30. Firms are renegotiating leases and emphasizing profitability.
Read full story at Economic Times