X5 Retail opens largest Vprok.ru Perekrestok dark store

Russian food retailer X5 Group has opened a new Vprok.ru Perekrestok dark store with a total area of 37,000 sq m.

Located in Salaryevo, Novomoskovsky District, it is the online hypermarket's third such facility in Moscow and the fifth and largest in Russia. The dark store has increased Vprok.ru Perekrestok's total capacity in the Moscow region by 40%

Initially, it will carry 30,000 SKUs, with the assortment projected to grow to 120,000 SKUs by the end of 2021. The area for non-food or extended shelf life products is four times larger compared to other facilities.

It currently handles around 500 orders per day and has about 220 employees and 30 vehicles to support its operations. Once at full capacity, it will be able to handle 8,000 orders, with the number of staff and vehicles growing to 600 and 200, respectively.

X5 has opened the largest #darkstore for its online hypermarket https://t.co/O0KRJpiA0C Perekrestok in Moscow. The 37,000 sqm facility will eventually process up to 8,000 orders/day https://t.co/MKDN1IaqcV pic.twitter.com/uOceOJ1IwK
— X5 Group (@X5_RetailGroup) October 13, 2021

"Dark stores are at the core of Vprok.ru Perekrestok's business model – this is where we assemble all our orders,” says Leonid Dovladbegyan, Managing Director at Vprok.ru Perekrestok.

“The online hypermarket's mission is built around stock-up shopping and delivery of orders of up to 500 kg on the same or next day. To meet our customer's expectations, we need to ensure speedy processing and order assembly, which the dark store model helps achieve.”

“Speed is particularly important today, when customers are increasingly opting for online shopping. This shift in preferences makes it a key competitive advantage.”

“By opening the third dark store in Moscow, we seek to boost our capacities in the region and improve order handling efficiency to ensure faster and more convenient delivery for our customers."

Currently, the Vprok.ru Perekrestok online hypermarket handles up to 15,000 orders per day, with the total number in Q2 2021 having exceeded one million (up 13% year-on-year). The average ticket was RUB 4,877.

A courier service is offered in eight regions across Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg, as well as the Moscow, Leningrad, Nizhny Novgorod, Ryazan, Tula and Tver regions.

Orders are delivered to a customer's doorstep by truck drivers, with over 70,000 SKUs available for purchase, including from the fresh and ultra-fresh categories.

In 57 additional regions, Vprok.ru Perekrestok operates in the self-pick-up format, offering customers an assortment of 40,000 SKUs that comprises the likes of household goods, household chemicals, children's products, groceries, and professional pet goods.

However, fresh, ultra-fresh, frozen and large-sized goods are not available for pick-up in these regions. Shoppers can collect their orders at the checkout of the nearest Pyaterochka store or at 5Post pick-up points, with 3,500 of them integrated with the service.

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