German meal-kit delivery firm HelloFresh may start selling ready-made meals to tap into demand from consumers who prefer not to cook, co-founder Thomas Griesel has told a German newspaper.
HelloFresh, which competes with US rival Blue Apron, delivers pre-packaged meal ingredients aimed at making home cooking more accessible.
"We see a very big market niche for ready-made meals. The quality and freshness of what is currently available is questionable. That could be an interesting option for us," Griesel was quoted by the Rheinische Post newspaper as saying.
Side-stepping direct competition with the TV dinners on offer at supermarkets, HelloFresh could offer ready-made meals via the Internet, he said.
Nationwide Expansion
HelloFresh already offers some ready-made meals and snacks in vending machines in corporate offices. So far, that service is available only in Berlin, but Griesel said that HelloFresh now planned to expand it nationwide.
He also brushed off the idea that HelloFresh and rival Blue Apron could merge, saying that it was "extremely unlikely".
"We have enough going on at the moment that we want to concentrate on," Griesel said.
Speculation that it could be acquired has supported Blue Apron's stock in the past, although the shares remain down 70% from the company's initial public offering last year, as analysts show concern about competition from Amazon.com and other retail heavyweights.
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