Talking Retail Grocery and product news for independent retailers
The grocery delivery app and online platform enable consumers to buy and get groceries delivered in minutes from Nisa, Londis, Budgens, McColls, and Spar stores located in BP petrol stations, as well as independent retailers like local butchers, fishmongers and producers.
Grocemania also plans to open a second dark store in Twickenham, Middlesex, in early July.
The dark stores are being launched as part of Grocemania’s new initiative, GM Local, which highlights the company’s commitment to support local producers by digitally connecting them to customers. Users in the same area as their local Dark Stores will be able to receive their deliveries within 10 to 15 minutes.
More than 300 retailers and producers have already signed up to the app and Grocemania is also working with FMCG brands like PepsiCo and Unilever to bring app users discounts on a variety of products.
Grocemania has developed tailored pricing for every retailer, its own stock control system, and now also invested in state-of-the-art point of sale technology to be used within the dark stores.
The company is set to expand its dark stores beyond London later this year, with plans to open 16 further stores across England by the end of 2021 in partnership with Valli Forecourts. The expansion follows Grocemania’s successful funding round earlier this year, which saw it raise £173,000 in its latest pre-Seed round, almost doubling its initial target of £100,000.
Askar Bulegenov, founder and director of Grocemania, said: “Dark stores have disrupted the food delivery sector in recent years. They offer local stores a more cost-effective storage system, while typically providing consumers with a quicker, more efficient service.
“It was a logical next step, therefore, that Grocemania would expand into this exciting space – we are constantly looking for ways to improve and innovate our offering, and our dark store expansion strategy will help us do just that. With an even quicker delivery service for users, and superior stock management technology, we are confident that our plan will allow us to better support both local businesses, and satisfy the needs of our valued app users.”
Grocemania’s on-demand delivery service began with operations in London, Bristol and Brighton throughout 2020, and has launched in Sheffield, Leeds, Cardiff, and Birmingham within the past six months.
