WALMART
RETAIL & ECOMMERCE
WALMART
HEADQUARTERS: ARKANSAS, US NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES: 2.1 MILLION MARKET CAP: US $ 772.58BN NUMBER OF COUNTRIES: 19
Dark stores work, cutting average delivery distance by 23 % compared to fulfilment from traditional retailers, according to the Supply Chain Management Review. Their strategic placement contributes to this, as they are typically trialled in or near dense urban areas, where instant shopping demand is highest.
Why dark stores are the ones to watch in 2025 In 2025, the dark store model is proving to be more efficient, more accurate and faster than store-based fulfilment. Research from the Food Marketing Institute shows that retailers using dark stores process online orders 40 % faster, while order accuracy rates jump from 94 % to 98 % and labour costs per order fall by 28 %.
Once orders are processed, delivery speeds are even more promising under a dark store model. Walmart saw a 91 % rise in sub-three-hour deliveries in Q1 2025 alone.
90 August 2025