Blinkit’s dark store expansion hit by high AQI in Delhi-NCR
211 new stores were added in the quarter, taking the total store count to 2,027 as of quarter-end
- Jan 21, 2026,
- Updated Jan 21, 2026 5:08 PM IST
Pollution-related restrictions hindered quick commerce major Blinkit’s dark store expansion in the Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), the new-age company’s largest market.
“Extended pollution-related restrictions slowed construction and store fit-outs in our largest city for several weeks (these restrictions continue as of this date),” Blinkit parent Eternal said in its shareholders’ letter after the company announced its third-quarter earnings.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on several occasions over the past three months.
As a result, Blinkit fell short of its guidance of having 2,100 dark stores. “211 net new stores were added in the quarter, taking the total store count to 2,027 stores as at the end of the quarter (about 70 stores short of our guidance of 2,100 stores),” the company said.
Blinkit, however, said it remains on track for 3,000 dark stores by March 2027. India’s biggest quick commerce player also faced festive period operational constraints.
“During Diwali and the surrounding weeks, we had to refocus our operations teams' bandwidth on managing record order volumes rather than opening new stores. This is a timing issue. The stores we didn't open in Q3 will open in Q4,” it said.
On the impact of the proposed social security code, Blinkit said the exact operational and financial details of the social security code will become clear only once the rules are notified. “Only post that we will be able to share more details about how it impacts our business and margins. Most likely, the business should be able to absorb most of this impact, and hence we don’t expect any change in our long-term margin guidance in any business,” said Akshant Goyal, chief financial officer, Eternal.
“We also continue to monitor the details of other aspects of the labour code (gratuity, leave encashment, others) and do not expect any material impact on our P&L on account of these,” Goyal added.
Eternal said it sees the new social security code aiding the broader gig work community. “With the government now mandating all digital platforms to contribute towards such benefits, we see this benefiting the broader gig worker community and encouraging a larger proportion of India’s workforce to participate in the gig economy. At the same time, this will also improve the ease of doing business for platforms like ours.”
Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance coverage alone for their delivery partners in 2025. “We have proactively put in place welfare programs for our delivery partners, such as offering free-of-cost insurance (medical, accident, loss of pay, maternity cover), amongst multiple other benefits,” it said.
Pollution-related restrictions hindered quick commerce major Blinkit’s dark store expansion in the Delhi-NCR (National Capital Region), the new-age company’s largest market.
“Extended pollution-related restrictions slowed construction and store fit-outs in our largest city for several weeks (these restrictions continue as of this date),” Blinkit parent Eternal said in its shareholders’ letter after the company announced its third-quarter earnings.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on several occasions over the past three months.
As a result, Blinkit fell short of its guidance of having 2,100 dark stores. “211 net new stores were added in the quarter, taking the total store count to 2,027 stores as at the end of the quarter (about 70 stores short of our guidance of 2,100 stores),” the company said.
Blinkit, however, said it remains on track for 3,000 dark stores by March 2027. India’s biggest quick commerce player also faced festive period operational constraints.
“During Diwali and the surrounding weeks, we had to refocus our operations teams' bandwidth on managing record order volumes rather than opening new stores. This is a timing issue. The stores we didn't open in Q3 will open in Q4,” it said.
On the impact of the proposed social security code, Blinkit said the exact operational and financial details of the social security code will become clear only once the rules are notified. “Only post that we will be able to share more details about how it impacts our business and margins. Most likely, the business should be able to absorb most of this impact, and hence we don’t expect any change in our long-term margin guidance in any business,” said Akshant Goyal, chief financial officer, Eternal.
“We also continue to monitor the details of other aspects of the labour code (gratuity, leave encashment, others) and do not expect any material impact on our P&L on account of these,” Goyal added.
Eternal said it sees the new social security code aiding the broader gig work community. “With the government now mandating all digital platforms to contribute towards such benefits, we see this benefiting the broader gig worker community and encouraging a larger proportion of India’s workforce to participate in the gig economy. At the same time, this will also improve the ease of doing business for platforms like ours.”
Zomato and Blinkit spent over Rs 100 crore on insurance coverage alone for their delivery partners in 2025. “We have proactively put in place welfare programs for our delivery partners, such as offering free-of-cost insurance (medical, accident, loss of pay, maternity cover), amongst multiple other benefits,” it said.