The “dark stores” – “superettes de l’ombre” in French – are a bit like the back bases of these shopping delivery companies. It is in these premises, located in the heart of cities, that all the food and everyday products are found, which they then deliver in record time, 10 to 15 minutes, until late at night.
You may have already come across these new generation delivery men, who are called Gorillas, Flink, or Getir. The first two are German, the third is Turkish. There is also Frichti for meal deliveries, here we are talking more about “dark kitchens“. But each time, the principle is the same: premises located at the foot of buildings, with opaque windows, and which are not open to the public. They are found not only in Paris and its inner suburbs – which has around a hundred – but also in Lille, Lyon, Bordeaux and even Marseille.
What worries Paris is a draft decree, emanating from the Ministry of Ecological Transition, which could perpetuate these “dark stores”. Emmanuel Grégoire, the first deputy in charge of urban planning in the capital, was moved by it on Twitter this weekend, believing that such a text, which he is asking for the suspension, would legalize these collection points by assimilating them to shopping.
⚠️ #Darkstore We discover with great concern and incomprehension a draft decree of the DHUP which de facto legalizes darkstores. A single collection point will suffice to be considered a 1/2 trade @OliviaPolski @BGomes_75 pic.twitter.com/4omMOHmtg6
— Emmanuel Gregoire (@egregoire) August 13, 2022
Response from the Minister Delegate for Cities and Housing, Olivier Klein: the purpose of this project is to better regulate “dark stores”, a consultation on this subject is also underway. For several months, Paris has been leading a veritable crusade against the development of these premises, which it considers to be warehouses, not shops. The city accuses players in the sector of not asking for a change of destination for their “dark stores” when it comes to former commercial premises, in accordance with the town planning code. It also highlights the nuisance for residents of the comings and goings of delivery people, and the unfair competition made to neighborhood businesses.
In their defense, Gorillas and its competitors claim that they also employ local artisans, and that their deliveries are often made by bicycle, and not by van, as is still the case for traditional grocery deliveries.
The City of Paris has indeed closed a dozen so far, it also verbalizes the operators found at fault, but without much result so far. The delivery companies have big means, they count on the slowness of the procedures, and the legal vagueness which surrounds them. The City of Lyon, also headwind against the “dark stores”, has the same difficulties. In the end, it may be the market itself that will do the sorting, as it often does. An already saturated market, where it is necessary to remain profitable, and which is beginning to concentrate: since the beginning of the year, Gorillas has offered itself Frichti, and Flink has swallowed Cajoo, its French competitor. In the United States, concentration is already well under way. In a city like New York, almost half of the players in the sector had already gone bankrupt before the summer.