Originally launched in 2016 as an alcohol on-demand delivery app, Bottles has been acquired by local grocery retailer Pick n Pay. Since the sale of alcohol was banned under lockdown in March, Bottles repurposed their platform to deliver on-demand essential grocery items through a partnership with Pick n Pay.
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In the past 8 months since its move to incorporate grocery deliveries, the app has garnered more than 700,000 downloads and has 350,000 active registered users. Pick n Pay says that the app has an average delivery time of 90 minutes with more than 7,000 products available at in-store prices.
The acquisition is expected to be finalised by November. Founders of Bottles, Enrico Ferigolli and Vincent Viviers, as well as key staff and managers will move across to Pick n Pay once the t’s have been crossed and the i’s dotted.
Richard Brasher, chief executive at Pick n Pay, spoke about the impact of lockdown has had on the business and why online delivery is more important than ever.
“The past seven months have seen a surge in demand for online groceries in South Africa. Together with our franchise partners, we have responded by expanding the number of stores which deliver or offer click and collect services,” he said.
“Our sales growth has more than doubled, and we have seen a 200% increase in active customers. Our aim is to have a business which customers can access anytime, anywhere and from any place. We already have two large online depots, and a home-delivery and click-and-collect network comprising over 150 stores,” he concluded.
According to Brasher, without Bottles the food retailer would not would not have been ready to start delivering essential food at the beginning of lockdown, as their online shopping platform wasn’t meant for on-demand delivery.
