As the quick commerce competition intensifies in India, with companies branching out from FMCG and groceries to a broader range of consumer goods, Tiger Global is reportedly conducting due diligence on Zepto-owned dark stores in Bengaluru. This͏͏ suggests͏͏ a͏͏ keen͏͏ interest͏͏ from͏͏ the͏͏ New͏͏ York-based͏͏ investor͏͏ in͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ valued͏͏ at͏͏ $5͏͏ billion.
“Tiger͏͏ has͏͏ been͏͏ visiting͏͏ Zepto-owned͏͏ dark͏͏ stores͏͏ to͏͏ gain͏͏ a͏͏ deeper͏͏ understanding͏͏ of͏͏ their͏͏ operations,”͏͏ ET͏͏ reported,͏͏ citing͏͏ a͏͏ source͏͏ familiar͏͏ with͏͏ the͏͏ situation.
The͏͏ source͏͏ also͏͏ noted͏͏ that͏͏ the͏͏ US-based͏͏ investment͏͏ firm͏͏ is͏͏ examining͏͏ “how͏͏ Zepto͏͏ differentiates͏͏ its͏͏ execution͏͏ from͏͏ competitors,͏͏ as͏͏ well͏͏ as͏͏ the͏͏ factors͏͏ that͏͏ set͏͏ the͏͏ Indian͏͏ market͏͏ apart͏͏ from͏͏ global͏͏ markets.”
Another͏͏ source͏͏ mentioned͏͏ that͏͏ for͏͏ Tiger͏͏ Global,͏͏ “the͏͏ aim͏͏ is͏͏ to͏͏ engage͏͏ with͏͏ Zepto͏͏ and͏͏ establish͏͏ a͏͏ relationship͏͏ ahead͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ next͏͏ funding͏͏ round͏͏ before͏͏ an͏͏ IPO,͏͏ which͏͏ is͏͏ a͏͏ common͏͏ practice͏͏ for͏͏ most͏͏ late-stage͏͏ startups.”
Zepto’s͏͏ Public͏͏ Offering͏͏ Plans:
This͏͏ development͏͏ comes͏͏ as͏͏ Zepto͏͏ is͏͏ reportedly͏͏ in͏͏ talks͏͏ with͏͏ domestic͏͏ and͏͏ global͏͏ merchant͏͏ bankers͏͏ to͏͏ go͏͏ public͏͏ by͏͏ August͏͏ 2025,͏͏ with͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ raise͏͏ approximately͏͏ $450͏͏ million͏͏ through͏͏ a͏͏ fresh͏͏ issue͏͏ of͏͏ shares.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Zepto initiates͏͏ talks͏͏ with͏͏ bankers͏͏ for͏͏ $450͏͏ Mn͏͏ IPO,͏͏ targets͏͏ August͏͏ 2025͏͏ listing
Additionally,͏͏ the͏͏ company͏͏ secured͏͏ $665͏͏ million͏͏ in͏͏ funding͏͏ at͏͏ a͏͏ valuation͏͏ of͏͏ $3.6͏͏ billion͏͏ in͏͏ June,͏͏ with͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ double͏͏ its͏͏ dark͏͏ store͏͏ count͏͏ to͏͏ 700͏͏ by͏͏ March͏͏ 2025,͏͏ up͏͏ from͏͏ the͏͏ current͏͏ 350.
Rapid͏͏ Expansion͏͏ of͏͏ Dark͏͏ Stores:
Earlier͏͏ this͏͏ month,͏͏ Zepto͏͏ launched͏͏ its͏͏ services͏͏ in͏͏ Ahmedabad͏͏ and͏͏ plans͏͏ to͏͏ expand͏͏ further͏͏ into͏͏ other͏͏ parts͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ state,͏͏ including͏͏ Vadodara,͏͏ Surat,͏͏ and͏͏ Rajkot.
Continue͏͏ Exploring:͏͏ Zepto expands͏͏ quick commerce services͏͏ to͏͏ Gujarat,͏͏ eyes͏͏ growth͏͏ in͏͏ key͏͏ cities
Industry-Wide͏͏ Shift͏͏ in͏͏ Offerings:
This͏͏ move͏͏ aligns͏͏ with͏͏ a͏͏ broader͏͏ industry͏͏ trend,͏͏ as͏͏ various͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ companies͏͏ are͏͏ exploring͏͏ new͏͏ offerings͏͏ in͏͏ anticipation͏͏ of͏͏ the͏͏ festive͏͏ season.
In͏͏ addition͏͏ to͏͏ Zepto,͏͏ major͏͏ players͏͏ like͏͏ Blinkit͏͏ and͏͏ Swiggy͏͏ Instamart͏͏ are͏͏ expanding͏͏ their͏͏ dark͏͏ store͏͏ networks͏͏ and͏͏ incorporating͏͏ higher-value͏͏ items,͏͏ such͏͏ as͏͏ electronics͏͏ and͏͏ fashion,͏͏ into͏͏ their͏͏ product͏͏ portfolios.
E-Commerce͏͏ Players͏͏ Embrace͏͏ Quick Commerce:
Meanwhile,͏͏ most͏͏ e-commerce͏͏ players͏͏ are͏͏ either͏͏ exploring͏͏ or͏͏ have͏͏ already͏͏ entered͏͏ the͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ segment͏͏ to͏͏ capitalise͏͏ on͏͏ its͏͏ market͏͏ potential.
While͏͏ Flipkart͏͏ launched͏͏ its͏͏ service͏͏ called͏͏ Minutes͏͏ last͏͏ month,͏͏ Tata-owned͏͏ BigBasket͏͏ has͏͏ transitioned͏͏ from͏͏ an͏͏ online͏͏ grocery͏͏ delivery͏͏ platform͏͏ to͏͏ a͏͏ comprehensive͏͏ quick͏͏ commerce͏͏ platform.
Reliance͏͏ Industries’͏͏ digital͏͏ arm,͏͏ JioMart,͏͏ has͏͏ also͏͏ launched͏͏ a͏͏ pilot͏͏ program͏͏ for͏͏ the͏͏ instant͏͏ delivery͏͏ of͏͏ groceries͏͏ and͏͏ fast-moving͏͏ consumer͏͏ goods͏͏ (FMCG)͏͏ in͏͏ select͏͏ areas͏͏ of͏͏ Mumbai͏͏ and͏͏ Navi͏͏ Mumbai.
