Wednesday Dec 11, 2024
Wednesday Dec 11, 2024
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Providore, Groceries by Granada and Dropoff.lk have come together to form the largest online grocery retail alliance.
At the centre of this tri-party collaboration is Providore, an online grocery start-up that commenced operations in 2021. Providore strategically partnered with John Keells to setup a 20,000 sq. ft. fully-integrated logistics and fulfilment centre in Colombo, becoming one of the only online supermarkets to comply with international best practice, thereby instilling the highest standards of food safety and handling across the value chain.
Groceries by Granada and Dropoff.lk were among the early eCommerce grocery platforms to emerge during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Both operate virtual stores on the Uber and PickMe marketplaces and focus on providing quality, everyday products at competitive pricing. Groceries by Granada is best known for its fruits and vegetables, having originated from a fresh produce export business, whilst Dropoff.lk boasts a wider product offering, including speciality and hard-to-find items.
Commenting on the new partnership, Providore Founder and CEO Krister Fernando stated, “As with most industries, 2022 was an incredibly challenging year for online grocery retail. But it finally comes down to identifying the challenges in order to mitigate and find sustainable solutions. We have been collaborating with the two companies for some time now, and so it made perfect sense for us to consolidate operations, reducing overheads and optimising the combined leverage. We each bring a unique perspective to the table and collectively we are undoubtedly stronger. Understanding the potential for eCommerce in Sri Lanka, we are doubling down, not only on the sector, but also on the country, continuing to invest in technology, local suppliers and expansion in 2023.”
“In the current economic climate, 2023 is likely to be another tough year for grocery retail. The majority of products either have Government price controls in place or are MSRP listed, and so with tight margins, changes in legislation, the recent imposition of new taxes and levies, continued import restrictions, increase in delivery costs and ongoing high inflation, there will be significant pressure on the industry. As a result, we have taken the decision to ensure that together with our new partners, we continuously improve our service offering in order to provide the best services to our valuable clients,” said Dropoff.lk Managing Director Nipuna Lokuhetty.
Groceries by Granada Content Creator and Director Ranshan Gomez explained, “Collaborating strategically gives us the distinctive advantage to push forward and expand as a collective in the upcoming year. Providore is one of the few eRetailers who has invested in the systems, processes and infrastructure, utilising data to optimise and drive their business. We see the value in this partnership that will benefit our customers.”
Providore’s founders include cricketing legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara. Providore was setup on the ambition of marrying the best in technology and retail, creating the most user-friendly and functional grocery-tech to alleviate the hassles of everyday grocery shopping. In addition to delivering convenience and a seamless user experience from order placement to delivery, Providore’s focus also centres on providing superior quality and service. Providore was ranked among Sri Lanka’s Top 10 online grocery brands for 2022 by LMD magazine.
Providore’s own platform (www.providore.shop) delivers from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Providore, Groceries by Granada and Dropoff.lk Rajagiriya operate on the Uber and PickMe marketplaces from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
