Boolanga Business Bites

Your Personal Navigator in the Ever-Evolving World of Food Delivery

Week 26/02/2024

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?? Food Delivery

Delivery Hero terminates talks on potential sale of foodpanda business in Southeast Asia. German food delivery company Delivery Hero opens new tab said on Wednesday that the ongoing talks for the potential sale of its foodpanda business in selected markets in Southeast Asia have been terminated (Reuters).

Uber Eats is launching a delivery service with Cartken’s sidewalk robots in Japan. Uber, along with partners Mitsubishi Electric and autonomous robotics startup Cartken, are launching a service in Japan that will use self-driving sidewalk robots to deliver food to customers (Techcrunch).

Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats drivers plan to strike every Friday over pay. Each Friday from 5pm to 10pm, delivery workers from giants Just Eat, Deliveroo, and Uber Eats will not deliver as they strike for better wages (Metro).

Los Angeles County sues Grubhub over ‘bait and switch’ fees. The county calls for an injunction against alleged deceptive business practices and for Grubhub to pay fines for possible violations of California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws (Restaurant Dive).

Bill would change food delivery system. As Florida lawmakers deliberate on the potential impact of SB 676, also known as the Food Delivery Platforms bill, the proposed legislation aims to reshape the dynamics between food delivery services and restaurants (The Famuan Online).

DoorDash to settle California privacy violations for $375,000. Major online food ordering and delivery platform DoorDash has agreed to pay $375,000 to resolve allegations regarding its violations of California's privacy laws, according to The Register (SC Magazine).

Wolt delivery service comes to Luxembourg. Food (and goods) delivery service Wolt, already active in 29 countries, will be launching “very soon” in Luxembourg (Delano).

Wolt couriers are self-employed rather than employees, rules Finnish court. The couriers of Wolt are self-employed rather than employees, the administrative court of H?meenlinna ruled on Wednesday (Helsinki Times).

Singapore's Grab debuts share buyback of up to $500m but will be 'cautious'. Singapore-based tech group Grab Holdings on Thursday announced its first-ever stock buyback plan, in an attempt to shore up investor confidence after years of tepid share price performance (Nikkei Asia).

Amsterdam’s Sparqle secures €1.2M to drive emission-free last mile delivery. Amsterdam-based Sparqle, a sustainable delivery platform that believes last-mile delivery can be made more sustainable, has secured €1.2M in a fresh round of funding (Silicon Canals).

The Evolving Global Dynamics of Rapid Grocery Delivery. The transformation of the grocery delivery sector is a hallmark of the digital age (Foodondemand).

The New Challenger Aiming to Shake Up the Food Delivery Market with Lower Fees. In the bustling world of food delivery, a new contender, Munch'd, is stepping onto the scene with a bold promise (Bnnbreaking).

How Tata Group Is Planning To Compete With Swiggy & Zomato By Entering Food Delivery Sector. After facing more than Rs 1,000 crore loss in both of its first two years since launch, Tata group’s ambitious super app Tata Neu is aiming for a turnaround (India Times).

?? e-Commerce

Alibaba and Meituan back new Chinese AI startup valued at $2.5 billion valuation. Moonshot AI, a one-year-old artificial intelligence venture founded by Tsinghua University graduate Yang Zhilin, is valued at $2.5 billion after a $1 billion round of fundraising recently (Technode).

Farfetch is set to cut up to 30% of its total workforce as global ecommerce retailer Coupang takes ownership, Drapers has reported. The luxury fashion retailer is expected to cut between 25% and 30% of its staff after new owner Coupang said it was looking to “streamline the business” and increase ”financial strength”(Retail Week).

?? Grocery Delivery

Blinkit rolls out Franchise App for local entrepreneurs. The CEO of quick commerce app Blinkit announced the first of its kind app for connecting with customers (Republic).

Instacart Links With Quest Diagnostics to Reduce U.S. Food Insecurity. Partnership helps certain customers gain better access to nutritious food (Progressive Grocer).

Zomato plans D2C expansion of Blinkit to compete with ecommerce giants. This ambitious endeavour would involve building a dedicated supply chain infrastructure to directly source branded products and manage inventory, to compete with giants like Amazon and Flipkart (Business Standard).

Grocery delivery service Instacart has been using AI to make up impossible recipes and generate images of horrifying and hilarious food (PCGamer).

???? Restaurant Tech

The Cloud raises $12 million Series B, acquiring UK's KBOX. UAE-based cloud kitchen The Cloud has raised $12 million in funding from MENA Moonshots as part of the $30 million Series B it is trying to raise, including debt financing from Aluna Partners (Wamda).

Ghost Kitchens India Sizzles with $5M Series A Funding, Aims for Culinary Domination. Explore the journey of Ghost Kitchens India, a leading cloud kitchen startup disrupting the food industry. From their groundbreaking technology to strategic partnerships, find out how they're redefining dining experiences (BNN Breaking).

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