Quick-commerce companies in Amsterdam are only permitted to set up warehouses in industrial estates and, in exceptional cases, in mixed residential and work areas, following the approval of the city council’s new zoning plan.
This means that dark stores operating in the city are likely to move out, or could even close down in due course.
The director of Getir and Gorillas, Florian Brunsting, believes that the future of flash delivery in Amsterdam is at stake, according to a report in the publication Het Parool.
Brunsting added that the business model would be under pressure, as delivering from the outskirts of the city means fulfilling fewer orders per hour, due to the increased distance from customers.
In January of last year, the city of Amsterdam announced a one-year freeze on the opening of dark stores in residential areas or on nearby shopping streets used by fast grocery services such as Gorillas, Getir and Flink.
New Zoning Plan
“Amsterdam residents get a nicer living environment in this way,” a report in the NL Times quoted Reinier van Dantzig, councillor of housing and urban development for the city of Amsterdam, as saying.
Van Dantzig believes that the new policy ensures that rapid deliveries no longer cause a nuisance in residential areas.
Elsewhere, a Getir spokesperson emphasised the need for rapid delivery services in Amsterdam and added that the zoning plan discriminates and treats the sector differently to comparable services that are also involved in deliveries, according to the report.
Read More: European Food Delivery Shapes Up With Getir’s Gorillas Buy
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
