Grab to launch grocery delivery service
Singapore-based company Grab announced yesterday that it is moving into yet another area - grocery deliveries.
GrabFresh is a collaboration with regional grocery delivery company HappyFresh and will allow users to order groceries from within the Grab app.
It will be available in Jakarta later this month.
HappyFresh chief executive Guillem Segarra said: "Grab is the best possible partner we could have. The large number of couriers that they have allows us to add more delivery slots and improve delivery time."
It is not clear when the service might be launched here.
The new service heats up the competition between ride-hailing company Grab and rival Go-Jek, which offers grocery shopping and other concierge services in Indonesia.
In May, Go-Jek announced it would expand beyond its Indonesian base to four other countries in the region - including Singapore - by the end of this year.
Grab yesterday also announced a new service called GrabPlatform, a set of application programming interfaces (APIs) that allows other companies to partner with Grab and gain access to its technology and expertise in areas such as payment and transport.
Grab group chief executive Anthony Tan said the new platform will allow both Grab and its partners to "grow most efficiently and quickly".
Separately, Mr Tan confirmed that Grab will submit a written representation on July 26, appealing against the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore's decision on its acquisition of Uber's business here.
It had said the deal had "substantially lessened" competition and it was "anti-competitive".It proposed measures to ensure market contestability, including the removal of exclusivity clauses between Grab and cab companies.
Mr Tan said Grab had complied with the law, and he was confident of Grab's chances with its appeal. He noted in spite of the acquisition, there was still "tremendous competition" in the transportation sector, pointing to taxi operators such as ComfortDelGro, which has not partnered with Grab.
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