By Mark Kawalya
Glovo, an on-demand multi-category delivery service, announced a plan that will see the Spanish firm invest $60 million to accelerate its expansion in Africa. The company will enter the Ghanaian and Tunisian markets, bringing the total number of African countries it operates in to seven.
“Our mission is to provide everyone simple access to anything in their city, and our platform is at its best when it is linking users and companies, the majority of which are local eateries and independent stores,” Glovo co-founder Sacha Michaud said.
Already, the firm has invested $30m in Africa and plans to hire an additional 200 people that will carry out day-to-day operations next year when the expansion strategy is fully implemented. This will see the firm double its employees across the continent by the end of 2022.
In 2018, Glovo launched its breakout operations in Morocco and later expanded to Kenya, Uganda, and Cote d’Ivoire markets, which it has maintained. Currently, Glovo serves 300,000 users in more than 40 cities in these countries. The app is linked to about 8000 restaurants and has more than 12,000 motorcycle couriers.
Glovo believes that Africa presents many opportunities because several markets are underserved. They plan to reach local communities by linking more restaurants and stores and enabling them to access a larger online customer base.
According to William Benthall, Glovo’s General Manager of Sub-Saharan Africa: “Our expansion in Africa is something we are very proud of. There’s been an unprecedented spike in the on-demand delivery business in Africa and the expansion of our services to new countries and cities is both a reflection of that trend and a testament to our commitment to the continent. We believe what sets us apart is our multi-category offer, where at the click of a button we can deliver anything that fits on a bike to our users.”
Glovo uses advanced in-store digital technology, to ensure that clients have the quickest delivery time. The company’s micro fulfillment centers have reduced delivery time from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. The firm is working to shorten this further to 20 minutes.
With its operation in Central and Eastern Europe, Glovo has a total worldwide reach of 23 countries with Africa accounting for more than 30 percent of its geographical footprint. The firm establishes core local leadership in its countries of operation and has a policy to hire local workers that are skilled.
