X5 Retail Group is bringing its Okolo-branded delivery aggregator to new geographies outside Moscow and the Moscow region for food and ready-to-eat meals.
The expansion will see Okolo extending its services to St Petersburg, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, Krasnodar, and Rostov-on-Don.
In April of this year, X5 Retail Group announced the launch of express delivery from several Moscow restaurants via its online delivery platform Okolo.
Okolo App
Customers can access the Okolo service through a mobile app, available for Apple and Android phones, which also offers products from X5 stores.
The app employs a hyperlocal consumption model, with food and ready-to-eat meals delivered from the nearest stores, restaurants, and cafés.
Customers can use the app to place orders, which are delivered on the same day, during the service's operating hours, ranging between 9:00 hours to 21:00 hours or 7:00 hours to 23:00 hours, depending on the store.
The average delivery from one of X5's stores, such as a Pyaterochka or a Perekrestok, costs RUB 99 and takes approximately 45 minutes.
'Key Milestone'
Vladimir Kholyaznikov, food tech director at X5 Retail Group, said, "The launch of Okolo, X5's express delivery aggregator, outside Moscow and the Moscow region is a key milestone in rolling out one of the most popular services among consumers.
"With our universal mobile app, we can be close to each of our customers and help them out whatever the circumstances, be it an unexpected guest dropping in or an official dinner party."
Kholyaznikov praised the work put into developing the app, which has enabled the retailer "to track inventories and connect new stores to the express delivery service within a matter of hours, which is especially important for an effective rollout."
To manage deliveries, Okolo engages its partners, including professional courier services that specialise in food.
These partners are responsible for the hiring of couriers and managing their schedules.
The delivery aggregator uses a digital platform to transfer the orders to courier services, who then handle the delivery.
© 2021 European Supermarket Magazine. Article by Conor Farrelly. For more Technology news, click here. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
