BigBasket to launch 10-minute food delivery across India by March 2026, executive says

BigBasket, which brought online grocery delivery service to India in 2011, aims to increase its dark store count from about 700 currently to 1,000-1,200 by the end of 2025.

India's BigBasket plans to roll out 10-minute food delivery services nationwide by the end of fiscal 2026 as competition intensifies in the $7.1 billion quick-commerce space, its executive told Reuters on Tuesday.

The Tata-backed grocery giant will take on established players such as Swiggy's Snacc, Blinkit's Bistro and Zepto Cafe, which already deliver coffee and ready-to-eat snacks in less than 15 minutes.

BigBasket is targeting customers of the existing food delivery firms such as Zomato and Swiggy while also unlocking a new pool of customers, co-founder Vipul Parekh told Reuters.

It plans to use dark stores to fuel the service, Parekh added, extending its foothold in India's booming quick-commerce market, which Blume Venture's Indus Valley report calls the "fastest-growing industry segment ever."

Dark stores are small warehouses in densely populated neighbourhood buildings, where delivery partners, typically two-wheeler riders, pick up groceries or food for delivery.

BigBasket, which brought online grocery delivery service to India in 2011, aims to increase its dark store count from about 700 currently to 1,000-1,200 by the end of 2025.

Following a pilot run that began a month ago in the southern city of Bengaluru, the food delivery service will now be expanded to 40 dark stores by July-end, Parekh said.

Currently, about 5%-10% of BigBasket's customers who are offered the service are clubbing quick-food items with their normal online orders, but this is expected to grow further, he added.

The menu will comprise items from coffee chain Starbucks and Indian Hotels' food arm Qmin, both part of the Tata group in India. No external restaurants will be partnered with, the firm said.

Meanwhile, Parekh dismissed media reports of BigBasket seeking external investors for fundraising and reiterated the company's plan to go public within the next 18-24 months.

"One of the advantages we have is, being a part of Tata Group, you have enough internal capital available."