CARGOCONNECT-AUGUST 2025 - Flipbook - Page 35
NEW URBAN EQUATION : COVER STORY
Q-Commerce
Pla琀昀orms
Nos. of
Dark Stores
Blinkit
1007
Swiggy Instamart 609
Zepto
470
BigBasket
400
Flipkart Minutes
40
cost e昀케ciency. “It may work temporarily with investor
funding, but for long-term success, the cost per order
has to make sense,” he warns. This includes designing
supply chains for rapid restocking. As Anubhav notes,
“If a centre runs out of a popular product, it needs to
be restocked quickly. If the main warehouse is too far
away, that’s not possible.”
Across models and formats, smarter fulfilment
placement is proving essential to reducing cost per order,
improving delivery SLAs, and sustaining pro昀椀tability in a
segment where margins remain under constant pressure.
PURPOSE-BUILT SERVICES FOR A
DYNAMIC MARKETPLACE
The logistics backbone of modern commerce is becoming
increasingly specialised. In response to rapid shifts in
urban consumption and tighter ful昀椀lment timelines,
infrastructure providers are o昀昀ering tailored solutions
that go beyond traditional warehousing—designed
specifically for the demands of high-velocity, highfrequency business models like Q-com.
Narayan outlines how Horizon’s warehousing
platform is structured to meet the needs of this evolving segment. The company provides both in-city and
mid-mile facilities suited for Q-com and fast-moving
retail supply chains. Its parks are located across key
consumption corridors and are equipped for 24x7
operations, ensuring that high-frequency delivery
schedules can be maintained without disruption.
Narayan emphasises Horizon’s 昀氀exibility in deployment—o昀昀ering plug-and-play units, built-to-suit (BTS)
con昀椀gurations, and dynamic leasing models to speed
up go-live timelines.
Currently, he reveals, several of these parks are
already serving Q-com, 3PL, and FMCG clients across
micro-ful昀椀lment and regional distribution use cases.
According to Narayan, Horizon also enables clients to
scale temporarily during peak demand periods and
integrates value-added functions such as pre-sorting and
packaging zones within its parks to enhance ful昀椀lment
speed and accuracy.
Singh points to the scalability and national reach
of NDR’s logistics platform, which spans 15 major
Indian cities and provides access to more than 80%
of the country’s consumption demand. With Grade A
infrastructure and ready-to-deploy ful昀椀lment parks,
Singh notes that NDR supports Q-com companies with
strategically placed facilities that are tightly integrated
into national and regional transport networks.
“Strong connectivity to highways and multimodal
corridors allows seamless 昀椀rst-to-last mile operations,
while on-site warehousing and scalable storage enable
high-velocity inventory turnover,” he says, and notes
that this integration not only supports fast delivery but
also helps brands maintain service consistency as they
expand across di昀昀erent urban geographies.
Welspun One, led by Anshul Singhal, stands out as
a purpose-built provider with measurable scale and
impact. Founded in 2019, Welspun One now manages
approximately 19 million sq ft of logistics parks across
major cities in India. It has deployed two major funding
rounds—`2,275 cr in 2024—and secured `2,300 cr in
project 昀椀nancing in 2025 from NaBFID, marking the
largest single-project warehousing 昀椀nance deal in India.
Welspun One’s combination of size, funding, sustainability, and urban placement makes it an important
infrastructure partner for Q-com platforms. Their
readiness to deliver built-to-suit, plug-and-play, and
scalable warehousing within city-adjacent corridors
is helping Q-com companies go live faster, manage
昀氀uctuating demand, and optimise last-mile delivery.
Together, platforms like Horizon, NDR, and Welspun
are helping de昀椀ne a new layer of logistics infrastructure—built not just for storage, but for speed, scale,
and responsiveness in a marketplace that is constantly
in motion.
CARGOCONNECT AUGUST 2025 | 35
