The pandemic has driven radical changes in consumer behaviour and quickened the adoption of meal and grocery deliveries. As a result, a flood of new grocery delivery firms has accelerated growth in the total number of transactions and revenue for the nascent industry.
According to Orian Research, the global online grocery market would grow with a CAGR of 23.7 per cent in 2020- 2025.
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In this regard, the Netherlands grocery sector is one of the most sophisticated in Europe. The grocery sector continues to record the strongest growth, particularly in Amsterdam, driven by modern grocery retailers.
With major supermarkets now competing online and offline, competition in Amsterdam is intensifying to offer added value services to online customers, above and beyond the mere delivery of groceries.
Having said that, here is the list of companies in Amsterdam that are upping the ante in the fast-growing and highly competitive grocery delivery environment.
Getir
Founded by Nazim Salur, Serkan Borancili, and Tuncay Tütek in 2015, Getir has been revolutionising delivery services by delivering groceries to consumers’ doorsteps in as little as ten minutes.
Last month, the Istanbul-based delivery platform expanded its operation in Amsterdam after a successful launch in London. The Turkish company opened dark stores in and around the centre of Amsterdam. It’s worth bearing in mind that dark stores serve as a pick-up point for couriers who deliver groceries ordered via the Getir app.
Recently, Getir raised $550M funding in Series D round at a $7.5B valuation. The company employs over 10,000 people, and the app has handled millions of orders. Getir is also planning to launch its service in Paris and Berlin in the upcoming days.
Gorillas
Based out of Berlin, Gorillas is a grocery delivery provider that aims to deliver goods to consumers within 10 minutes of ordering. Last year, the company expanded its operation to more than twelve cities including Amsterdam, London, and Munich. At present, the company has built more than 40 micro fulfilment centres.
Founded by Kağan Sümer and Jörg Kattner in 2020, Gorillas raised $290M (€244M) in funding, becoming one of the fastest European startups to achieve unicorn status. In the future, the company plans to expand to more than ten countries with 50+ cities including Paris and New York.
Picnic
Based out of Amsterdam, Picnic operates an online platform created to provide grocery supermarket services at low prices.
Founded in 2015 by Joris Beckers, Frederik Nieuwenhuys, Michiel Muller, and Bas Verheijen, the company has pioneered a modern milkman-style scheduled service with its iconic little electric vans.
According to the company, the entire operation including, the supply chain, forecasting, warehouse systems, partnership, and fleet strategies, are done indoors. To date, the company has raised around €350M from various investors including Finci, Hoyberg De Hoge Dennen Capital NPM Capital, and ABN AMBRO.
Local Heroes
Based out of Amsterdam, Local Heroes is a relatively new e-commerce platform established to support local shops and food markets. Founded by Dutch entrepreneur Maarten Coumans, the company offers an e-commerce platform for local establishments and businesses, thereby creating an online presence to compete with big online players.
Through the e-commerce platform, users can support local businesses by ordering from them online and getting deliveries at home. Last year, Local Heroes received an investment of €1M from three family funds to focus on IT and the sustainability of its operations. Local Heroes is on a mission to help local establishments thrive again and gain the market share that’s been lost over the years.
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn is the biggest supermarket chain in the Netherlands. Founded by Albert Heijn senior in 1887, the company has been part of Ahold Delhaize since 2016. At present, the company has more than 1,000 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium.
Albert Heijn launched its first online store in 1997, where customers can order the products and have them delivered at home. At present, the company offers more than a grocery delivery service.
Through their website Ah.nl, customers can make grocery lists, order the products, and look up recipes. The website allows customers to search for recipes using keywords and add them to the shopping list with one click. The products can be delivered at home or can be picked up at the desired physical store.
A couple of years back, Albert Heijn revealed its delivery robot called ‘Aitonomi’ developed by Swiss company TeleRetail at the Digital Food 2019 conference. However, there is no information about the project in recent times.
Just Eat Takeaway in Germany
Based out of Amsterdam, Just Eat Takeaway is an online food delivery marketplace, connecting consumers and restaurants through its platform in 24 countries.
Last month, the company has announced that it will launch a supermarket delivery service in Germany through its Lieferando.de service in 50 cities. On top of that, Just Eat Takeaway is also planning to launch the service in the UK and Netherlands, but no time frame has been announced.
According to the company, it will work with all major grocery chains and local convenience stores and will deliver the goods to customers in 20-30 minutes.
With nearly 250,000 connected restaurants, Just Eat Takeaway.com offers consumers a wide variety of food choices. The company is currently operational in 23 markets globally. These include operations in the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, and Switzerland, as well as through partnerships in Colombia and Brazil.
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