In the capital, food delivery sites have been multiplying for several years. Installed on the ground floor of apartment buildings, the “dark stores”, warehouses which are used to prepare express orders placed on the Internet, are at the heart of many complaints.
Noise until three o’clock in the morning, food waste in the street, delivery men driving on the sidewalk… since their installation in the capital, the “ghost shops” deprive Parisians of their tranquility.
Indeed, these “quick commerce” (fast commerce) which continue to multiply, are often installed illegally, as in the ground floor of buildings.
In 2020, food shopping delivered to homes, and provided by several start-ups such as Flink, Cajoo, Gorillas and others, increased by 45%, according to the Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme.
“Ill-educated people who drive on the sidewalks”
“In January 2022, more than 80 dark stores belonging to a dozen brands were identified in Paris and its inner suburbs, distributed in the densest neighborhoods in population and the most attractive in terms of potential customers”, notes the Apur in his report.
Among the problems identified by the inhabitants, we note the presence of “poorly educated people, park anywhere, drive on the sidewalks, take the forbidden directions”, as a resident of the 17th arrondissement of Paris affirms at the microphone from CNEWS.
45 warehouses CLOSED
The town hall of Paris has asked the various players in “quick commerce” to close 45 “dark stores” which have been “illegally created” in the capital, the first PS deputy Emmanuel Grégoire told AFP on Monday March 7.
“Out of 65 dark stores that have been instructed” by the town hall’s urban planning services following feedback from Parisians, “45 are illegal”, he explained.
These “dark stores” are considered by the town hall and the urban planning departments as warehouses, whereas the premises in which they have been installed are most often commercial premises.
“To transform a business into a warehouse, the actors of quick commerce should have requested authorization, even a building permit in certain cases, and they did not do so, which is a violation of the town planning code”, he had detailed the first deputy PS.