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20 stories for “blinkit”

Handwritten discount board and stacked plastic stools outside a small Indian retail shop at dusk

Opinion · Retail

Value retail’s festive tightrope looks thinner this year

Inflation absorption and quick-commerce frequency are testing the old low-price promise just as footfall peaks.

The Desk · 7 Oct · 4 min read

Closed glass-front convenience store with empty shelves visible through locked doors at dusk

Retail

Reliance Retail exits 7-Eleven after five years, shuts nearly 60 stores

Convenience format posted ₹90 crore loss on ₹92 crore revenue; kiranas and quick commerce left no room for the middle.

Meera Iyer · 7 Oct · 4 min read

Stacked snack cartons on a small wholesale counter with weighing scale

Supply Chain

D2C food brands widen offline trade as quick-commerce shelves fill

Dark-store space crunch before festive forces snacks and sweets makers onto B2B marketplaces and kirana-modern trade routes.

Farhan Qureshi · 3 Oct · 4 min read

Empty quick-commerce dark store aisle with stacked crates and overhead LED lights at dawn

Ecommerce

Amazon Now doubles to over 120 cities in two weeks

Minute-level drops reach Amritsar Jalandhar Vizag Kochi just as Great Indian Festival opens 8 October.

Ananya Rao · 2 Oct · 4 min read

Quiet urban street corner with parked delivery bikes and closed shutter of a small warehouse at early morning light

Opinion · Ecommerce

Why dark-store maths now favour discipline over pure discount

Amazon’s cheque and Flipkart’s PIN grab arrive just as Blinkit and peers cut promo intensity.

The Desk · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Compact empty dark store interior with shelving of grocery packs and packing table under cool LED light

Ecommerce

Amazon bets $3 billion on India quick commerce dark stores

Plan lifts Amazon Now from roughly 750 stores toward 1,300 by April and targets daily essentials share now at 6.2 percent.

Ananya Rao · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Large empty warehouse aisle with stacked cartons and conveyor belts under industrial lights

Supply Chain

Flipkart adds 750 PIN codes and 14 million cu ft via Ekart

Logistics arm lifts national storage 50 percent and peak processing over 30 percent ahead of Big Billion Days.

Farhan Qureshi · 1 Oct · 4 min read

Empty stainless steel food prep counters and stacked delivery bags inside a compact dark store

Ecommerce

Zepto Cafe cuts footprint to 250-350 sites after peak

Quick-commerce player scales back from 850-900 locations to focus on high-performing cities and tighter menus, easing dark-store cost pressure.

Ananya Rao · 30 Sep · 4 min read

Parked delivery bags and helmets beside stacked crates outside a small warehouse gate

Opinion · Ecommerce

Will dark-store scale finally cool the q-comm discount war?

As Amazon and Flipkart near 1,000 sites the incentive race shows early signs of moderation, yet festive demand could reignite burns.

The Desk · 29 Sep · 4 min read

Stainless steel kitchen counters and empty prep stations in a compact cafe kitchen

Ecommerce

Zepto Cafe cuts footprint to 250-350 sites after peak

Quick-commerce firm scales back from 850-900 locations to focus on high-performing cities and tighter menus.

Ananya Rao · 29 Sep · 4 min read

Rows of stocked metal shelves inside a compact urban dark store under fluorescent light

Ecommerce

Flipkart Amazon near 1,000 dark stores in q-comm sprint

Bernstein note shows Flipkart approaching the mark while Amazon eyes festive season scale, pressuring Blinkit margins.

Ananya Rao · 29 Sep · 4 min read

Stacked snack packets and oil bottles on metal shelves inside a compact dark store under cool LED lighting

Ecommerce

Flipkart Minutes launches Pykd private label in gourmet

Quick-commerce arm adds namkeen, chips and premium grocery range; dark-store margins and basket values get a lift ahead of festive demand.

Ananya Rao · 28 Sep · 4 min read

Empty warehouse aisle with stacked cartons under fluorescent light

Ecommerce

Meesho draws Nomura Reduce tag as valuation premium bites

Stock slips 5% after the broker flags premium to peers despite lower NMV growth, squeezing merchant acquisition budgets.

Ananya Rao · 27 Sep · 4 min read

Large empty warehouse interior with stacked cardboard boxes and sorting conveyors under industrial lights

Ecommerce

Amazon opens first Varanasi fulfilment centre

New 1-lakh-cubic-feet hub and sort centre cut festive delivery times in UP, squeezing local courier margins and kirana restock cycles.

Ananya Rao · 26 Sep · 4 min read

Metal racks stacked with medicine boxes and grocery packs inside a small warehouse bay

Ecommerce

Rio Health raises $4.5 mn to scale NCR dark stores

Pre-Series A funds push network from three to over 15 dark stores and target ₹150 crore annual run rate in quick commerce.

Ananya Rao · 25 Sep · 4 min read

Stacked food cartons and sealed packets on a warehouse shelf under fluorescent light

Ecommerce

FSSAI starts penal action against Amazon Flipkart Zepto Instamart

Five platforms face proceedings over Happilo claims and Dhatura listings, raising compliance costs for every dark-store operator.

Ananya Rao · 24 Sep · 4 min read

Row of parked delivery bikes outside a small urban warehouse at dawn

Opinion · Ecommerce

Why Amazon and Flipkart still cannot ignore the dark-store math

Festive capacity is useless if the minutes layer keeps taking the daily habit.

The Desk · 23 Sep · 4 min read

Smartphone box on a metal shelf inside a compact dark store

Platforms

Blinkit and Zepto turn iPhone 18 launch into 10-minute marketing play

Quick commerce platforms list scarce units on launch day to own the immediacy conversation.

Rhea Kapoor · 23 Sep · 4 min read

Smartphone and electronics boxes stacked on a warehouse conveyor

Ecommerce

Flipkart Big Billion Days starts 9 October a day after Amazon

Both platforms lock the festive calendar and force brands to split inventory and ad spends.

Ananya Rao · 23 Sep · 4 min read

Warehouse aisle stacked with sealed cartons under fluorescent lights

Ecommerce

Amazon sets Great Indian Festival for 8 October with 1.6 lakh jobs

Network adds 20 fulfilment centres and 150 last-mile stations just as shoppers start stocking lists.

Ananya Rao · 23 Sep · 4 min read