Locations of dark stores in the Netherlands in 2022

Roughly 34 percent of dark stores in the Netherlands were located in mixed retail-residential areas in May 2022. These dark stores are essentially supermarkets that are not accessible to the public. Instead, they are used by online grocery delivery services to store their inventory. Dark stores are a topic of controversy in the Netherlands for two reasons. Firstly, the retail spaces they occupy often have blinded windows and are not accessible to the public, thus negatively impacting the atmosphere in shopping streets. Secondly, bicycles and delivery personnel often converge around these stores, which has led to complaints from residents.