Delivering the Future: The Rise of Micro-Fulfilment Centres and Dark Stores in Nigerian Cities

Discover how these solutions are reshaping city logistics and helping Nigerian businesses move faster, cut costs, and outpace the competition.

What Are Micro-Fulfilment Centres and Dark Stores?

Micro-fulfilment centres (MFCs), also known as dark stores, are compact warehouses—usually between 3,000 and 25,000 square feet—strategically located in the heart of urban areas rather than distant industrial zones. These sites aren’t open to the public; instead, they’re designed for online retailers to store top-selling products closer to their customers. The result? Delivery times shrink from days to just hours, and businesses can respond rapidly to local demand.

For online businesses in Nigeria, MFCs and dark stores are a game-changer. They solve persistent challenges in urban delivery, helping companies reach customers reliably despite city congestion.

Technology at the Core: How Automation Powers Urban Fulfilment

The efficiency of MFCs relies on a suite of advanced technologies designed for speed and precision.

Automated Picking

Specialised robots can process up to 800 items per hour—eight times faster than manual picking. This not only ramps up efficiency but also reduces labour costs, allowing businesses to scale quickly.

AI-Driven Inventory Management

With limited space, MFCs must prioritise what’s in demand. Artificial intelligence and analytics take the guesswork out of inventory decisions, analysing purchasing trends across neighbourhoods to ensure each centre is stocked with products that move.

Real-Time Monitoring

For businesses delivering perishable goods, sensors track inventory conditions and freshness around the clock. This level of monitoring means customers receive their orders at peak quality.

Sustainable Operations

Reliable power remains a challenge in Nigeria’s urban centres. To ensure uninterrupted service, many businesses are turning to solar panels and battery backups, reducing dependency on the grid and keeping costs in check.

Around-the-Clock Productivity

Without the distractions of in-store shoppers, staff in dark stores can focus solely on fulfilling orders. This leads to faster processing and greater consistency, even during peak periods.

Cost-Effective Setup

Transforming underutilised urban spaces into MFCs is both affordable and efficient. Businesses can repurpose vacant properties—like mall basements—into high-performing fulfilment hubs with minimal investment.

Localised Profit Strategies

Dark stores allow for hyper-localised inventory. A supermarket, for example, can double as a dark store after hours, ensuring popular neighbourhood products are always in stock and ready for quick dispatch.

Lower Last-Mile Costs

The final stretch from warehouse to customer’s doorstep—the ‘last mile’—accounts for at least 40% of delivery expenses. By positioning inventory closer to customers, MFCs and dark stores dramatically cut these costs.

But real success depends on having the right logistics partner, one with the infrastructure and expertise to unlock these benefits at scale.

Partner with DHL for Smarter Urban Logistics

DHL’s experience, technology, and expansive network position us as the ideal logistics partner for Nigerian businesses ready to embrace micro-fulfilment. We help you reduce last-mile delivery costs, accelerate order fulfilment, and gain an edge in fast-moving urban markets.

Don’t let delivery challenges hold you back. With DHL as your logistics partner, you can transform urban deliveries and set your business up for sustainable growth—today and tomorrow.