Venture capitalists have invested billions of dollars in fast grocery delivery services such as Turkey's Getir and Germany's Gorillas and Flink, in a race to expand across Europe to meet soaring demand during COVID-19 lockdowns.
But this new mainstay of city life is facing pushback from some residents and authorities who see the services as a blight on neighbourhoods, complicating the loss-making companies' efforts to scale up and become profitable.
At issue are the hundreds of small 'dark stores' - distribution hubs for on-demand groceries where workers zip in and out on scooters, prompting complaints they are causing disruptions and are a nuisance.