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South African Retailer The giant Pick n Pay said Tuesday that it is acquiring the online grocery service Bottles.
The two companies formed a closer partnership following the government’s decision earlier this year to ban the sale of alcohol during level 5 of the Covid-19 lockdown. This forced Bottles, who had focused on delivering alcohol, to change their business.
Bottles launched in 2016 as South Africa’s first on-demand alcohol delivery app and began working with Pick n Pay in 2018.
TechCentral Podcast: The Bottles App Founders How They Pivoted In A Crisis And Come Out On Top
Since its move to grocery stores on March 31, the app has registered 350,000 registered users, offering grocery deliveries in an average of 90 minutes, Pick n Pay said in a statement.
The acquisition is expected to be completed in November, the retailer said. Founding members Enrico Ferigolli and Vincent Viviers, as well as key managers and staff, will move to Pick n Pay after the deal is concluded. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.
‘Increased demand’
Pick n Pay CEO Richard Brasher said in the statement: “Over the past seven months there has been an increase in demand for online groceries in South Africa … In partnership with Bottles, we were able to introduce a delivery service of groceries to order in less than a week. after the start of the confinement.
“Our goal is to have a business that customers can access anytime, anywhere, and from anywhere. We already have two large online warehouses and a click-and-collect home delivery network comprising more than 150 stores. Adding bottles to Pick n Pay will give us another advantage and allow us to offer more services and more flexibility to customers in this fast-growing area. “
The Bottles acquisition follows the successful launch by rival Checkers of the online shopping app Sixty60, which proved popular with consumers during the shutdown. – (c) 2020 NewsCentral Media
