After recording a significant jump in profits in 2021, the supermarket chain Jumbo has announced plans to join forces with the on-demand grocery delivery company, Gorillas, allowing customers to have their Jumbo shopping delivered to their doorstep in a matter of minutes.
Customers of the supermarket chain living in the 11 Dutch cities where Gorillas operates will be able to order their groceries via the so-called flash delivery company’s app or online and have them delivered in just 15 minutes. Gorillas Benelux says this service will be fully operational by the end of 2022.
“Of course, I would prefer to see customers come to the supermarket,” says Jumbo CFO Ton van Veen. “We can clearly see the trend that specific target groups want food delivered quickly to their home…If we set it up ourselves, we will become the fifth or sixth player in the Netherlands. So it made sense to partner with Gorillas, the market leader in flash delivery.”
While Jumbo’s profits climbed from 9,68 billion euros in 2020 to 9,9 billion euros in 2021, the company still failed to meet its target for a turnover of 10 billion last year. The supermarket chain does continue to grow, however, taking over both La Place and Hema over the last few years and opening 18 new stores in 2021.
This week, the supermarket chain also announced that its prices would rise on a number of products as a result of higher purchase prices. Van Veen has not specified which products will become more expensive, but has said the company cannot absorb the higher costs on its own.
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