India’s quick commerce sector is set for significant expansion, with the country’s dark store network projected to grow from approximately 7,800 outlets across more than 100 cities to over 12,000 by 2030, according to a report by CBRE Research. The expansion is expected to generate around 75 million sq. ft. of cumulative urban logistics real estate demand, transforming India’s warehousing and commercial property landscape.
Currently, dark stores occupy approximately 27 million sq. ft. of real estate. These strategically located micro-warehouses, generally situated within a two-to-three-kilometre radius of consumers, support rapid order fulfilment and delivery timelines of 10 to 30 minutes. They are supported by larger peripheral mother hubs that facilitate inventory replenishment and distribution across urban delivery networks.
By 2030, dark-store real estate stock is projected to reach approximately 42 million sq. ft., while mother-hub stock is expected to expand to around 33 million sq. ft. This growing requirement is likely to strengthen demand for strategically located urban logistics facilities, particularly Grade A warehousing assets.
“Capital discipline, tier-II economics and dark-store density are expected to drive an estimated 75 million sq. ft. of cumulative urban logistics requirement, with mother hubs anchoring sustained Grade A leasing demand,” a CBRE spokesperson said.
Although the sector remains concentrated in major metropolitan markets, geographical expansion is gathering momentum. Around 65–70% of existing dark stores are located in the top eight cities. However, operators are increasingly extending their networks into tier-II and tier-III markets, including Jaipur, Lucknow, Surat, Coimbatore and Nagpur, supported by lower real estate costs and growing digital adoption.
Investment has also played a significant role in the sector’s expansion. Indian quick commerce operators have attracted approximately $8.94 billion in cumulative funding over the past decade, making India the world’s second-largest quick commerce investment destination after the United States.
Meanwhile, operators are increasingly adopting asset-light and partnership-driven business models to improve operational efficiency and profitability. These include franchised dark stores, third-party logistics partnerships, shared multi-brand fulfilment centres and collaborations with neighbourhood kirana stores.
The shift towards hybrid fulfilment models is expected to reshape India’s urban logistics ecosystem, creating new opportunities in warehousing, industrial real estate and last-mile delivery infrastructure as quick commerce expands beyond metropolitan markets.