ErmelindaDez at 18:07, 5 May 2026

2026-05-05T18:07:25Z

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{{Short description|Indian quick-commerce company}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Blinkit
| logo = Blinkit-yellow-rounded.svg
| logo_size = 160px
| website = {{URL|https://blinkit.com}}
| footnotes =
| type = [[Subsidiary]]
| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2013|12|}}
| location = [[Gurgaon]], [[Haryana]], India
| founders = Albinder Dhindsa<br>Saurabh Kumar<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bhalla |first1=Tarush |title=Kumar steps back at Grofers |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/grofers-co-founder-saurabh-kumar-exits-firm-11624022889924.html |access-date=4 July 2022 |work=mint |date=18 June 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
| industry = [[Q-commerce]]
| services = [[Online grocer]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Grofers shifts base to Singapore|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/tech-news/grofers-shifts-base-to-singapore/articleshow/49201868.cms |access-date=17 April 2021 |work=The Times of India |language=en}}</ref>
| key_people = Albinder Dhindsa ([[CEO]])
| products = Bistro
| revenue = {{up}} {{INRconvert|5206|c|lk=on}} (FY25)<ref>{{cite web |title=Shareholders' Letter and Results - Q4FY25 |url=https://b.zmtcdn.com/investor-relations/d9c290cd23764a09789769c39682276a_1746094084.pdf |publisher=Eternal Limited |access-date=22 June 2025}}</ref>
| net_income =
| num_employees =
| parent = [[Eternal Limited]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rudra |first1=Tapanjana |title=Zomato Completes Acquisition of Quick-Commerce Startup Blinkit |url=https://inc42.com/buzz/zomato-completes-acquisition-of-quick-commerce-startup-blinkit/ |access-date=25 August 2022 |work=Inc42 Media |date=10 August 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
| area_served = India
| former_name = Grofers (2013–2021)
}}

'''Blinkit''' is an Indian [[q-commerce|quick-commerce]] company owned by [[Eternal Limited]].<ref>{{cite news | last=Sarkar | first=John | title=Big Basket rival Grofers rebrands itself as Blinkit with eye on quick commerce | website=The Times of India | date=13 December 2021 | url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/big-basket-rival-grofers-rebrands-itself-as-blinkit-with-eye-on-quick-commerce/articleshow/88261629.cms | access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | last=Bhalla | first=Tarush | title=Grofers rebrands as Blinkit with quick commerce space heating up | website=mint | date=13 December 2021 | url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/grofers-rebrands-as-blinkit-with-quick-commerce-space-heating-up-11639373243183.html | access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Grofers puts on a new name, Blinkit, to show how the focus of its business is changing | website=Business Insider | date=13 December 2021 | url=https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/zomato-backed-grofers-rebrands-to-blinkit-as-focus-shifts-to-10-minutes-delivery/articleshow/88251384.cms | access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref> It was founded in December 2013 and is based in [[Gurgaon]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Sen|first1=Sunmy|title=It's Grofers vs BigBasket in the grocery delivery app war|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/business/it-s-grofers-vs-bigbasket-in-the-grocery-delivery-app-war/story-ngp6goPi1jvfi0UcZNoc9O.html|access-date=29 September 2016|publisher=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=23 May 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Grofers has had a good run so far, aims at operational break-even by year end|url=http://www.businessinsider.in/Grofers-aims-at-operational-break-even-by-year-end/articleshow/53188918.cms|access-date=29 September 2016|publisher=[[Business Insider]]|date=13 July 2016}}</ref>

Customers of the company use a [[mobile app]] to order groceries and essentials online, which are sourced from the company's [[dark store]]s and delivered in 10 minutes.<ref>{{Cite news|date=23 Aug 2021|title=10 minute delivery|language=en|work=Business Today|url=https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/grofers-confident-of-under-10-min-grocery-delivery-within-45-days-304966-2021-08-23|access-date=2017-07-26}}</ref> Blinkit operates in 153 cities in India, as of March 2025.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sur |first1=Shreya |title=Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart Expand Dark Stores Rapidly; Zepto Slows Down: JP Morgan |url=https://www.ndtvprofit.com/business/blinkit-swiggy-instamart-expand-dark-stores-rapidly-zepto-slows-down-jp-morgan |access-date=29 September 2025 |work=NDTV Profit |date=22 April 2025 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2022, [[Zomato Limited]] (now Eternal) acquired Blinkit for US$568 million in an all-stock deal.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |title=Zomato acquires Blinkit for $568 million in instant-grocery delivery push |url=https://techcrunch.com/2022/06/24/zomato-blinkit/ |last=Singh |first=Manish |date=2022-06-24 |website=[[TechCrunch]]}}</ref><ref name="auto1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/zomato-completes-acquisition-of-quick-commerce-company-blinkit-9009971.html/|title=Zomato completes acquisition of quick commerce company Blinkit|work=Moneycontrol|access-date=2022-12-15|language=en-US}}</ref>

== History ==
The company, originally named Grofers, was founded in December 2013 by Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Grofers To Raise Over $5 Mn From SoftBank |url=https://inc42.com/buzz/grofers-to-raise-over-55-mn-from-investor-softbank// |access-date=2021-04-22 |publisher=Inc42 |language=en-US}}</ref> who had first met each other while working for [[Cambridge Systematics]] during the late 2000s.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ankita |date=2016-02-08 |title=[EXCLUSIVE] "We started with a room and couple of people", Grofers Lets Us In On Its Clockworks |url=https://www.hungryforever.com/exclusive-we-started-with-a-room-and-couple-of-people-grofers-lets-us-in-on-its-clockworks/ |access-date=2021-04-06 |website=HungryForever Food Blog |language=en-US}}</ref> The startup piloted in [[National Capital Region (India)|Delhi NCR]] before expanding to other cities in India.{{fact|date=January 2024}}

After seven years of operations as an [[online grocery]] delivery service,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-13|title=Explained: The q-commerce model, how your order is delivered in minutes|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/grofers-rebranded-itself-as-blinkit-7669940/|access-date=2021-12-13|website=The Indian Express|language=en}}</ref> Grofers introduced express grocery delivery in India in 2021, by building a [[dark store]] network. In June 2021, [[Zomato Limited]] (now Eternal) acquired a 9.3% stake in Grofers for $100 million.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Singh |first1=Manish |title=Zomato's $100 million investment to turn Grofers into a unicorn |url=https://techcrunch.com/2021/06/29/zomatos-100-million-investment-to-turn-grofers-into-a-unicorn/ |access-date=29 September 2025 |work=TechCrunch |date=29 June 2021}}</ref> In July 2021, Grofers was reportedly delivering groceries in 15 minutes in [[Gurgaon]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grofers Forays Into Instant Delivery, Delivers To 7,000 Households Within 15 Mins|url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/startup/grofers-forays-into-instant-delivery-delivers-to-7000-households-within-15-mins-7230631.html|access-date=2021-09-23|website=Moneycontrol|language=en}}</ref> A month later, in August 2021, it introduced 10-minute delivery in 12 large cities.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bhalla|first=Tarush|date=2021-08-23|title=Online grocer Grofers sets sights on under 10-minute deliveries|url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/online-grocer-grofers-sets-sights-on-under-10-minute-deliveries-11629657924642.html|access-date=2021-09-23|website=mint|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=After giving up on 90-minute delivery five years ago due to lack of profitability, Grofers is now chasing 10-minute delivery|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/after-giving-up-on-90-minute-delivery-five-years-ago-due-to-lack-of-profitability-grofers-is-now-chasing-10-minute-delivery/articleshow/88253221.cms|access-date=2021-12-13|website=Business Insider}}</ref> By November 2021, the company was delivering 125,000 orders per day.<ref>{{Cite web|title=We Are Delivering 1.25 Lakh Orders Every Day: Albinder Dhindsa Of Grofers|url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/startup/we-are-delivering-1-25-lakh-orders-every-day-albinder-dhindsa-of-grofers-7745991.html|access-date=2021-12-13|website=Moneycontrol|language=en}}</ref>

On 13 December 2021, Grofers changed its brand name to Blinkit<ref>{{Cite web|title=Grofers puts on a new name, Blinkit, to show how the focus of its business is changing|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/zomato-backed-grofers-rebrands-to-blinkit-as-focus-shifts-to-10-minutes-delivery/articleshow/88251384.cms|access-date=2021-12-13|website=Business Insider}}</ref> in line with its vision to embrace [[Q-commerce|quick-commerce]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Grofers renames itself Blinkit with eye on faster deliveries | website=India Today | date=14 December 2021 | url=https://www.indiatoday.in/business/story/grofers-renames-itself-blinkit-with-eye-on-faster-deliveries-1887503-2021-12-14 | ref={{sfnref | India Today | 2021}} | access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Grofers rebrands to Blinkit in line with its 10-min grocery delivery plan; steps up hiring | website=Business Today | date=13 December 2021 | url=https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/corporate/story/grofers-rebrands-to-blinkit-in-line-with-its-10-min-grocery-delivery-plan-steps-up-hiring-315327-2021-12-13 | ref={{sfnref | Business Today | 2021}} | access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Grofers rebrands as Blinkit, assures 10 minute delivery | website=Business News | date=13 December 2021 | url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/companies/article/grofers-rebrands-as-blinkit-assures-10-minute-delivery/840071 | ref={{sfnref | Business News | 2021}} | access-date=23 December 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-12-13|title=Grofers rebrands to Blinkit as quick commerce space heats up|url=https://www.vccircle.com/grofers-rebrands-to-blinkit-as-quick-commerce-space-heats-up|access-date=2021-12-13|website=VCCircle|language=en-US}}</ref> By the end of 2021, the company had raised about {{currency|630|USD}} million from investors including [[SoftBank]], [[Tiger Management|Tiger Global]] and [[Sequoia Capital]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Shu|first1=Catherine|title=Indian Hyperlocal Delivery Startup Grofers Pulls Out Of 9 Cities|url=https://techcrunch.com/2016/01/05/indian-hyperlocal-delivery-startup-grofers-pulls-out-of-9-cities/|access-date=29 September 2016|publisher=[[TechCrunch]]|date=5 January 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Ganguly|first1=Paloma|title=Delivering groceries, Grofers bags big bucks from SoftBank|url=https://www.techinasia.com/delivering-groceries-grofers-bags-big-bucks-softbank|access-date=29 September 2016|publisher=[[Tech in Asia]]|date=26 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Saligrama|first1=Anirudh|title=How Grofers Is Battling Legal Notice That Was Served By Students|url=http://techstory.in/12082016-grofers-legal-battle/|access-date=29 September 2016|publisher=TechStory|date=15 August 2016}}</ref>

In March 2022, the cash-strapped Blinkit fired 1,600 employees and ground staff, nearly 5% of its total workforce. Soon after, Zomato granted a US$150 million loan to Blinkit and entered talks to acquire it.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Zomato to give $150 million loan to Blinkit |work=The Economic Times |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/funding/zomato-to-give-150-million-loan-to-blinkit/articleshow/90232713.cms |access-date=2023-01-17}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sahay |first1=Priyanka |last2=Srikanth |first2=Chandra R |title=Zomato to extend $150-million loan to cash-strapped Blinkit |url=https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/startup/zomato-to-give-150-million-debt-to-cash-strapped-blinkit-8235841.html |access-date=29 September 2025 |work=Moneycontrol |date=15 March 2022}}</ref> On 24 June 2022, Zomato announced that it would acquire Blinkit for US$568 million in an all-stock deal.<ref name="auto" /> The acquisition was completed on 10 August 2022.<ref name="auto1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Rai |first=Joseph |date=2022-06-24 |title=Zomato to acquire Blinkit for ₹4,447 crore in all-stock deal |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/zomato-to-acquire-blinkit-for-4-447-crore-in-all-stock-deal-11656093457147.html |access-date=2023-01-16 |website=mint |language=en}}</ref>

== Services ==
Blinkit primarily delivers groceries, fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, stationery, bakery items, personal care, baby and pet care products, snacks, and flowers, among others.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-07-10|title=Albinder Dhindsa|url=https://www.yosuccess.com/success-stories/albinder-dhindsa-grofers/|access-date=2021-04-06|website=Yo! Success|language=en}}</ref>

== Criticism ==
In August 2021, the company's 10-minute delivery service faced criticism with concerns raised over the safety of delivery partners. CEO Albinder Dhindsa, in a [[Twitter|tweet]], defended the mechanism behind express delivery and claimed that there had been zero accidents.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-08-29|title=Grofers co-founder defends 10-min delivery service|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/grofers-albinder-dhindsa-responds-to-criticism-of-10-minute-grocery-delivery/articleshow/85715834.cms?from=mdr|access-date=2021-09-23|website=YourStory.com|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |last=Dhindsa |first=Albinder |user=albinder |number=1431566536439844869 |date=28 August 2021 |title=I want to chime in about the hate we are getting for delivering groceries in 10 minutes... https://t.co/RNhFvd6ojV |language=en |access-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211220145112/https://twitter.com/albinder/status/1431566536439844869 |archive-date=20 December 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2022, a Bengaluru-based web development company called Blinkhit filed a [[trademark infringement]] lawsuit against Blinkit.<ref>{{Cite web|date= March 2023|title= Drama is all in the name|url=https://inc42.com/features/blinkhit-vs-blinkit-the-drama-is-all-in-the-name/amp/}}</ref>

In April 2023, hundreds of Blinkit delivery partners in [[Delhi NCR]], where about half of the company's dark stores were located, went on strike after a revision in payout structure resulted in lower earnings for them. This led to a temporary closure of many dark stores.<ref>{{cite news |title=Blinkit strike: Why Zomato-owned company has shut down some Delhi-NCR Dark stores |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/gadgets-news/blinkit-strike-why-zomato-owned-company-has-shut-down-some-delhi-ncr-dark-stores/articleshow/99571544.cms |access-date=5 June 2023 |work=The Times of India |date=18 April 2023}}</ref>

In June 2024, the [[FSSAI]] conducted a raid on a Blinkit warehouse in [[Telangana]], uncovering multiple [[food safety]] violations, including unhygienic storage and handling, [[Expiration date|expired]] food products, and packets suspected of [[infestation]].<ref>{{cite news |title=FSSAI discovers food safety violations at Blinkit warehouse in Telangana, action to be taken |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/fssai-finds-food-safety-violations-at-zomato-blinkit-warehouse-in-telangana-action-handling-storage-infested-flour-dal-11717731589242.html |access-date=20 August 2024 |work=Mint}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Zomato-owned Blinkit warehouse raided in Hyderabad: Company's response on these food safety violations reported |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/zomato-owned-blinkit-warehouse-raided-in-hyderabad-these-food-safety-violations-reported/articleshow/110772038.cms |access-date=20 August 2024 |work=The Times of India |date=11 June 2024}}</ref>

== Funding rounds ==
Source:<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bansal |first1=Varsha |title=SoftBank, Tiger Global deliver $220 million in fresh funds to Grofers |url=https://www.livemint.com/companies/start-ups/softbank-leads-200-million-investment-in-grofers-1557915185398.html |website=mint |language=en |date=15 May 2019}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Transaction Name
! Number of Investors
! Fund Raised
|-
|Series A
|1
|{{currency|500|USD}}K
|-
|Series B
|2
|{{currency|10|USD}}M
|-
|Series C
|2
|{{currency|36.5|USD}}M
|-
|Series D
|5
|{{currency|120|USD}}M
|-
|Series E
|3
|{{currency|58.6|USD}}M
|-
|Series F
|7
|{{currency|264|USD}}M
|-
|Sale
|[[Zomato Limited]]
|{{currency|568.31|USD}}M
|}

==See also==
* [[Zepto (company)|Zepto]]
* [[Zomato]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Official website|www.blinkit.com/}}

{{SoftBank}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blinkit}}
[[Category:2022 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Companies based in Gurgaon]]
[[Category:Indian companies established in 2013]]
[[Category:Retail companies established in 2013]]
[[Category:Transport companies established in 2013]]
[[Category:Internet properties established in 2013]]
[[Category:Online grocers]]
[[Category:Online retailers of India]]
[[Category:SoftBank portfolio companies]]
[[Category:Privately held companies of India]]

Blinkit - Revision history

ErmelindaDez at 18:07, 5 May 2026