Indians get hooked on 10-minute grocery apps, squeezing small retailers

Gig workers prepare to deliver orders outside Swiggy's grocery warehouse at a market area in New Delhi, India. — Reuters

MUMBAI: In a middle-class suburb of Mumbai, workers at SoftBank-backed Swiggy's grocery warehouse race against time to deliver orders within 10 minutes. Their speed is tracked by the seconds on a screen that flashes red warnings for slowness.

Outside in sweltering heat, Swiggy's bikers, sporting the firm's trademark bright orange T-shirt, frantically collect packed grocery orders to deliver them nearby, while others return to tackle another shipment assigned on their app and waiting.