The UK food delivery service, Deliveroo, is doubling the number of partners it has in Birmingham, UK, after seeing a 300% growth in the city between February 2020 and December 2021. The company said that it’s also opening a new office in the city seeing as it appears to be so popular there despite the easing of coronavirus restrictions.
Aside from orders from fast-food restaurants, Deliveroo reported that it has also been popular among grocery shoppers with top-selling items in Birmingham including freshly sliced bread, skimmed milk, and baking potatoes. According to the company, orders can be delivered in as little as 20 minutes. With the UK government on course to remove all COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday, it will be interesting to see if Deliveroo’s success is a flash in the pan or lasting.
Commenting on the news to expand its partners in Birmingham, Deliveroo Vice President of Regional Growth, Jeff Wemyss, said:
“We"re really proud of this massive growth in Birmingham over the past year, and are committed to continuing to support our restaurant partners and the local community after delivering a vital service during the pandemic. While the economy may now have reopened, people are increasingly looking to get their favourite dishes and daily essentials delivered to their door, so we"re excited to see what the future holds for us in Birmingham, as we continue to grow our partnerships to meet this demand.”
While the app has seen a huge growth in Birmingham, in the UK as a whole it reported that its Gross Transaction Value (GTV) increased by 36% in Q4’21 compared to Q4’20. Despite the positive numbers the company has been putting out, its share price has been on a downward trajectory since December, probably over investor fears about the company’s future after COVID-19.