BigBasket is planning 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 a variety of ready-to-eat snacks in less than 15 minutes.

BigBasket is targeting customers of existing food delivery firms like 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 Ventures’ Indus Valley report calls the “fastest-growing industry segment ever”.

Dark stores are small warehouses located in densely populated urban neighbourhoods, where delivery partners pick up groceries or food for customers.

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

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

At present, about 5-10 per cent of BigBasket’s customers who are offered the service are clubbing quick-food items with their normal online order, 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.

Parekh also 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.

Wow! Momo funding

Calcutta-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) company Wow! Momo has secured a ₹85-crore debt investment from Stride Ventures to fund its expansion plans.