By Ananta Agarwal and Ashna Teresa Britto (Reuters) -Indian food delivery major Zomato's third-quarter profit more than halved on Monday, as rising competition in the quick commerce space and increased spending on opening more fulfilment centres for its Blinkit platform weighed on margins.

Foodtech major Zomato’s consolidated net profit slumped 57.2% to INR 59 Cr in Q3 FY25 from INR 138 Cr in the year-ago quarter.

A significant portions of Zomato's expenses came from purchases of stock-in-trade which grew to ₹1,510 crore from ₹783 crore earlier.

India's Zomato reported a smaller-than-expected third-quarter profit on Monday as its margins continue to face pressure from high spending on opening more centres to fulfil orders at its quick commerce platform,