Tata-owned BigBasket plans to expand its dark store count to 700 by the end of FY25 from 400 as the company pivots to becoming a pure play quick commerce company, as the company sees rising demand for rapid deliveries, founder Hari Menon told businessline.
This comes when BigBasket is undergoing a major overhaul, integrating its various business models into a single platform. The initiative, spearheaded by BigBasket CEO Hari Menon, seeks to streamline its quick commerce, subscription service, and traditional slotted delivery model under one unified interface.
“We realised we could create larger dark stores that accommodate over 25,000 SKUs, delivering a wider range of products within 10 minutes. Customers love the convenience and value we provide,” said Menon. BigBasket has about 56-60 such large warehouses across the country.
BigBasket has traditionally offered multiple services under separate interfaces, including its slotted delivery service, BB Daily subscription, and quick commerce service, BB Now.
Despite the growing popularity of quick commerce, BigBasket’s slotted delivery remains a core aspect of its business.
“We do about ₹700 crore from the slotted service, and customers who love this model will continue to enjoy it,” Menon noted. Of the ₹1,200 crore business that the company does, BBdaily accounts for about 150 crore and is the third-largest unit.
However, quick commerce, which started as a small portion of BigBasket’s overall business, now represents over 50per cent of their total transactions. BBnow – the company’s quick commerce arm – is responsible for the remaining ₹350 crore.
While the other units of BigBasket are profitable, the company is working on turning its quick commerce business profitable, where it competes with Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart, Zepto and newer entrants like Flipkart Minutes. “Company-wide profitability is 6-9 months away,” he added.
The average order value that the company is targeting is also higher. “The blended average order value is around ₹1000 which is significantly higher than others,” he added.
Regarding new categories, Menon shared that BigBasket is experimenting with non-grocery items such as electronics, sports equipment, and stationery. “Thanks to our association with the Tata Group, we have access to premium brands, including electronics and luxury products,” Menon explained.
A recent report by Nomura said, that the quick commerce space is expected to clock 100-110per cent year-on-year growth in gross order value (GOV) during FY26 led by strong dark store additions by the players.