20.06.2022
Dark stores are appearing on the Cyprus market, which are created for the sole purpose of preparing and delivering orders to consumers. From the famous Amazon in the USA, a new direction in trade has now come to Cyprus.
What are darkstores?
In his statement to Thomas Dimopoulos, founder and director of AXIA Chartered Surveyors, explains that this particular type of trade is gaining market share, emphasizing that, depending on their response and adaptation, they are expected to be affected and the value of the property.
“Shops called dark stores are dark (sic) stores, which are certainly not flashy stores, as they do not aim to either attract customers or highlight the goods on the shelves. This is a new direction in the field of marketing and distribution of products exclusively on the Internet,” he notes.
It is noted that dark stores are configured warehouses without a showcase, created solely for the purpose of preparing and delivering orders to consumers.
Advantages
Although the model is relatively new, it has been successfully applied abroad, including in Cyprus.
“Their boom is a result of the need for consumers to find more economical solutions to their purchases due to inflation, rising cost of living, high retail space rents and fear of crowd interest due to the pandemic. And while all of these stores are geared towards shipping products, some of them also have a special reception area, usually with some kind of automation system,” emphasizes the doctor. Thomas Dimopoulos, using Amazon as a classic example.
Speaking about the benefits of dark stores, Mr. Dimopoulos summarizes them as follows:
Cheaper cost of renting or buying real estate (usually warehouses outside the center, but with good access to motorways).
Possibility of storage, as well as the availability of more products.
Potential for a better and more efficient stock sorting and organization system.
Responding and adapting to the ever-increasing share of online shopping.
Access to more online stores .
More proof of sustainability than regular stores.
“Dark” kitchens
It is worth noting another very interesting application in the field of catering – “cloud kitchens”.
“Similarly, the same cooking area is used by different chefs and their creations are made available to consumers through dedicated and very popular teleorder platforms,” concluded Mr. Dimopoulos.
Examples of cloudy or dark kitchens in the Cypriot market are STREAT Burgers & Pizza, as well as The Burgerie by Voici La Mode.
Dr. Thomas Dimopoulos is Founder and Director of AXIA Chartered Surveyors, Co-Founder and Director of Real Geosolutions LTD, and Associate Professor of Real Estate Valuation at the Univ. Neapolis and visiting professor of the department Paul. Engineers and geoinformatics engineers TE.PA .K . He is a member of the board of the Cyprus Scientific Appraisers Association and has been a member of the European Board of the International Valuation Standards Board since 2020.
