Casablanca – Late last Thursday, Glovo suspended operations at all seven of its dark stores located in Tangier, Mohammedia, Casablanca, Dar Bouazza, and Marrakech.
The move followed an administrative closure order targeting the Dar Bouazza site, issued by local authorities in Nouaceur province, according to Tel Quel. Shortly after that decision, activity across the company’s network of app-based retail hubs was halted.
The sites were built around a model that has quietly expanded in major cities over the past few years. From the outside, they resemble warehouses, while arranged like compact supermarkets on the inside, with rows of shelves stocked with food and everyday essentials. Customers cannot enter.
Orders are placed through the app, picked by staff on site, and handed to delivery riders for dispatch within minutes. In some areas, the option of scheduled pickup was also available.
This format allowed the platform to move beyond restaurant deliveries and into direct grocery distribution, positioning inventory close to residential neighborhoods to reduce delivery times.
The activity operated separately from partnerships with established retail chains and functioned as a self-contained supply system.
Read more: UM6P’s StartGate Rabat, Glovo Convene Investors to Explore Tech Cooperation
The suspension comes weeks after Morocco’s Competition Council announced a series of binding commitments aimed at regulating the online delivery market, where Glovo holds a leading position.
The regulator opened an investigation into practices considered restrictive to competition and carried out field inquiries at the company’s premises before reaching an agreement.
Under the new framework, all delivery platforms in Morocco are required to comply with a 30% cap on commissions charged to partner restaurants and stores. Contracts exceeding that rate must be revised.
The commitments also include social measures affecting delivery riders. Glovo agreed to guarantee a minimum hourly income while preserving riders’ independent contractor status and their freedom to choose working hours.
In addition, the company committed to introducing digital monitoring tools to assess driving behavior, including phone use while riding and sudden braking, with the stated aim of improving road safety.
The Competition Council described the measures as a first step in overseeing Morocco’s growing digital platform economy. Although Glovo’s dark stores remain closed, leaving a pause in a model that had been reshaping urban grocery delivery, its restaurant and store-centered operations continue as normal.
