Greek food delivery market attracts foreign players

The local market for online grocery delivery is attracting the interest of new players looking to claim a stake in this rapidly growing sector of the Greek economy.

In addition to online food delivery companies such as Wolt, eFood and Box.gr that have reached the sector through partnerships with supermarkets or local stores (or by setting up their own e-shops), there have recently been several new entrants who have returned. from outside Greece.

According to the Convert Group, the share of Greeks in online supermarkets last year, in value terms, quadrupled to 1.8% of total food spending. However, this figure looks pale against the background of a similar sector in the UK, where it accounts for 16% of total food spending.

Sources say the Greek group, founded by an entrepreneur who set up his company in London a few years ago, is trying to build its own online supermarket. It has reportedly already attracted some of the funding it has received from strategic players in the sector abroad, as well as from large international investors.

The company’s goal is to create a platform on which consumers can order products, and it will control the entire supply chain, from distribution to delivery, within 20 minutes, by acquiring its own vehicle fleet and about 20 warehouse locations (dark stores *) in Athens. This end-to-end model is close to what Wolt presented on April 2 at the Wolt Market and when creating its first dark stores in the Athens suburb of Neos Cosmos.

Recently it was revealed that another recently created fast delivery startup Jokr, created by German entrepreneur Ralph Wenzel (founder of FoodPanda), is interested in entering the Greek market. However, the local market is unlikely to become a priority for him, since the corporation has so far focused on the markets of larger countries. According to US website Techcrunch, the firm is active in Latin America and expanding into North America since it recently opened its services in New York.

In the context of this battle, the local e-food player is about to strengthen its strategic partnership with Kiosky’s of the Mouchalis group. In the meantime, Ferto, a small grocery delivery app created during the pandemic, is completing its first round of funding this month to strengthen its presence in the last mile grocery delivery business.

* Dark store

Translated from English. The term means “dark store”, “dark supermarket” or “dotcom center”. It refers to a retail outlet or distribution center that exclusively caters to online purchases. …



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