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India’s quick commerce sector is projected to require a cumulative ~75 mn. sq. ft. of urban logistics space by 2030, according to CBRE South Asia PVT. Ltd's latest report titled “India’s Quick Commerce Scale-up: Decoding Dark Stores and Urban Logistics Demand”. This includes ~42 mn. sq. ft. of in-city dark stores and ~33 mn. sq. ft. of mother hubs. Mother hubs are larger warehouses on the outskirts of cities that stock and replenish multiple dark stores.
According to the report, India’s quick-commerce ecosystem has scaled to 7,800 dark stores in 2026. The sector already occupies ~27 mn. sq. ft. of space across 100+ cities. While the network remains metro-centric, with 65-70% of stores concentrated in the top eight cities, expansion into tier-II and III markets is gathering pace. By 2030, the network is likely to exceed 12,000 stores.
- Dark-store network projected to grow from ~7,800 stores in 2026 to over 12,000 stores by 2030
- Quick-commerce-related warehousing space take-up grew at a CAGR of 81% between 2021 and 2025
- Delhi-NCR, Mumbai and Bengaluru together account for nearly 60% of quick-commerce leasing since 2021
To replenish their expanding dark-store networks, quick-commerce operators have been leasing mother hubs on city outskirts, serving multiple stores through a hub-and-spoke model. Quick-commerce-related warehousing demand grew at a CAGR of 81% between 2021 and 2025, accounting for 4-5% of pan-India logistics leasing during this period. Annual space take-up rose from 3.1 mn. sq. ft. in 2024 to 4.3 mn. sq. ft. in 2025. Geographically, demand remained concentrated in major markets, with Delhi-NCR (21%), Mumbai (20%) and Bengaluru (17%) together accounting for nearly 60% of the total during 2021-H1 2026. These were followed by Hyderabad (16%) and Chennai (11%).
“Quick commerce is reshaping how consumption and urban logistics intersect in India, and real estate sits at the heart of this shift. As platforms move from capital-heavy expansion to a more disciplined growth cycle, the focus is moving from simply adding stores to building dense, efficient and well-located fulfilment networks. This will create a substantial real estate opportunity across in-city locations and city peripheries, as operators build infrastructure that can support both speed and scale,” said
Anshuman Magazine Chairman and CEO, India, South-East Asia, Middle East and Africa, CBRE.
“As the network expands beyond the metros, the quality and suitability of available real estate will become increasingly important. Developers and landlords that can provide well-located, compliant and operationally suitable spaces will be best positioned to participate in this evolving urban logistics landscape,” he added.
The report further notes that mother hubs of 100,000-125,000 sq. ft. are becoming central to the hub-and-spoke model. Each hub typically serves 30-50 dark stores, depending on store density in the city. These hubs also absorb spillover SKUs that cannot be stocked in compact urban formats. As the sector matures, mother hubs are expected to drive sustained Grade A leasing demand in logistics parks. Operators are also deepening their presence in markets such as Jaipur, Lucknow, Surat, Coimbatore and Nagpur, where relatively cost-effective real estate can support expansion.
The report also identifies partner-led models that are expected to influence leasing patterns through 2030. Franchise-led dark stores could facilitate faster entry into tier-II and III markets, while third-party logistics (3PL) providers may take on warehousing, fulfilment, and last-mile delivery functions. Shared fulfilment infrastructure and partnerships with neighbourhood kirana stores, which can serve as micro-warehouses, could offer additional avenues for expansion and shape leasing patterns through 2030.
“Quick commerce is creating a distinct urban logistics requirement that sits between retail and conventional warehousing. As networks expand, operators will increasingly assess sites on their ability to support high-throughput fulfilment, rather than on floor area alone. Ground-floor access, rider circulation, loading arrangements, power for cold-chain infrastructure and proximity to the relevant catchment will be critical determinants of a location’s viability.”
“The next phase of growth will also require a more differentiated real estate network, with dense inner-city dark stores supported by larger Grade A mother hubs for replenishment and wider assortments. As availability constraints, high rents and zoning considerations become more pronounced in established urban markets, purpose-built and shared fulfilment infrastructure could emerge as important enablers of capital-efficient expansion, particularly in tier-II and III cities,” said Ram Chandnani, Managing Director, Leasing Services, India, CBRE.
Looking ahead, real estate will be central to serving dense urban catchments efficiently. The opportunity will lie in creating well-located, compliant and future-ready fulfilment assets, from inner-city dark stores to Grade A mother hubs, that can support the sector’s evolving operational requirements.
