A dark store (also dark shop, dark supermarket or dotcom centre) is a retail outlet or distribution centre that exists exclusively for online shopping.[1][2][3][4] A dark store is generally a large warehouse that can either be used to facilitate a "click-and-collect" service, where a customer collects an item they have ordered online, or as an order fulfillment platform for online sales.[5] The format was initiated in the United Kingdom, and its popularity has also spread to France followed by the rest of the European Union and Russia,[6] as well as to the United States.[5][7]
As of 2021[update] many companies were competing to provide rapid delivery of groceries. Most were financed by venture capital, and were fighting for market share and prepared to take initial large losses in doing so. Professor Annabelle Gawer, director of the Centre of Digital Economy at the University of Surrey, pointed out that the industry being disrupted is not food supply, but local delivery. Gawer asserts "delivery has never been a profitable industry".[8]
- ^ Benedictus, Leo (7 January 2014). "Inside the supermarkets' dark stores". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BBC-2014-01-17was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Reuters-2013-10-13was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Somerville, Michael (29 November 2013). "Tesco opens sixth dotcom centre in Erith". Retail Gazette. Retrieved 20 January 2014.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
BBC-2014-01-09was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "В России появляются dark stores. Что это такое?". RETAILER.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 15 October 2021.
- ^ Berg, Nate (11 September 2020). "The rise of 'dark stores'—and how they could save struggling retail". Fast Company. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ Kale, Sirin (9 December 2021). "Beware the emergency avocado: what does ultrafast delivery really cost us?". The Guardian.