Dark stores in the City of Light: Geographical and transportation impacts of ‘quick commerce’ in Paris

Food e-commerce has long remained a limited phenomenon, which only changed noticeably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only did more consumers take advantage of the options offered online, it also prompted the launch of many food delivery start-ups around the world. Quick commerce in particular, offering grocery deliveries within twenty minutes or less, attracted significant sums of venture capital, alongside criticism from urban administrations and communities for the nuisances caused. Indeed, to offer instant grocery deliveries, quick commerce companies rely on a tightknit network of small, store-like warehouses, called ‘dark stores’, and a readily available vehicle fleet and staff. While plenty of ink has flowed about the urban implications of quick commerce in the press, a thorough scientific analysis lacks. To objectify and quantify the nuisances generated by quick commerce, the authors study geographical dimensions and transportation activities in Paris. By means of a press review, expert interviews, field observations and a cartography, the authors detail a supply chain consisting of various facility types; demonstrate the transportation-intensity of dark stores consisting mainly of electric two-wheelers; problematize the public space consumed by the vehicles in particular; and contrast the ultimately limited network of dark stores relative to traditional food retail.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2023.101333
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0739885923000732
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/07398859
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Rai, Heleen Buldeo
  • 0000-0002-0902-5648
  • Mariquivoi, Joséphine
  • Schorung, Matthieu
  • Dablanc, Laetitia
• Publication Date: 2023-9

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 101333
• Serial:
  • Research in Transportation Economics
  • Volume: 100
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 0739-8859
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/07398859

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Delivery service; Electric bicycles; Electronic commerce; Food; Geography; Retail trade; Scooters; Supply chain management; Urban transportation
• Geographic Terms: Paris (France)
• Subject Areas: Administration and Management; Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01909800
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Feb 26 2024 8:52AM