Three years on, dark stores continue to manifest. In 2021, during the high point of the COVID-19 pandemic, we observed an upturn in the number of dark stores that seemed to rapidly emerge as a result of changes in shopping habits and that gained a new prominence during and after lockdowns (Bitterman and Hess, 2021). This article updates and evaluates our original assertions about the rapid proliferation of dark stores and reflects on not only the continued progression of the dark store phenomena but also examines the economic and societal changes that both influence the popularity and sustain the growth of this unique retail typology and its effects on the built environment.
