Deliveroo users will soon be able to get DIY, electrical and homeware items delivered to their door, as the group expands its reach beyond food deliveries.
The food delivery group has already partnered with Screwfix, giving shoppers access to 500 of the DIY retailer’s products with the option of getting a chisel or screwdriver swiftly delivered to their door.
Deliveroo’s ‘Shopping’ section also expands the range of products offered on its platform by supermarkets like Waitrose, Co-op and Morrisons.
Rapid: Deliveroo shoppers can get DIY, electrical and homeware items delivered to their door
Will Shu, founder and chief executive of Deliveroo, said: ‘One further driver of growth will be the expansion of our platform to encompass retail, such as DIY, homeware and electrical goods.
‘This enhancement of our offering will leverage our existing capabilities to bring more of the neighbourhood to consumers’ doors.’
Stubbornly high inflation has pushed many consumers to cut back on unnecessary purchases like takeaways in the past year, prompting firms like Deliveroo to rapidly expand their reach into other fields.
Deliveroo, which is holding a capital markets event today, said it will continue to ‘dramatically expand’ the range of retailers and products on offer via its platform in the coming months.
It will ramp up offerings in the most popular ranges, with pet care and toys expected to perform well.
Ahead of Christmas, Deliveroo is also launching a new tool enabling shoppers to see festive gift deals available at a number of big-name brands like Boots.
On its tie-up with Screwfix, Deliveroo, said: ‘Screwfix is the UK’s leading retailer of trade tools and hardware products, that has stores within 20 minutes of 95 per cent of the UK population.
Partnership: 500 Screwfix products are now available via Deliveroo Shopping
‘With Home Improvement set to be an important category for Deliveroo, Screwfix will join the platform soon with an initial range of up to 500 products available, helping provide a quick solution to issues at home from plumbing, electrical, decorating and more.’
Deliveroo said it had seen a sizeable jump in the number of searches for non-food products on its platform in the past year.
It said there were 71,000 monthly searches for pet products, 320,000 monthly searches for beauty and personal care, and a 76 per cent rise in searches for home accessories in the past 12 months.
It also claimed to have sold £40,000 worth of Apple AirPods between July and September.
Deliveroo’s chief operating officer, Eric French, said: ‘Deliveroo is now catering for a wider set of consumer needs and occasions.
‘Just as Deliveroo transformed the way people eat, we’re set to do the same to how people shop, bringing more of the local neighbourhood to people’s doors.’
Investors at Deliveroo’s capital markets event today will be carefully scrutinising Shu’s plans to expand the firm’s reach well beyond takeaway food deliveries.
The group saw its share price fall by 60 per cent last year, following its £8billion listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2021.
In October, Deliveroo, which is competing against the likes of Just Eat and Uber, maintained its full-year financial guidance, reporting a 5 per cent rise in third-quarter gross transaction value.
The group, which has around 183,000 restaurants and 20,000 grocery sites on its platform, said orders fell 1 per cent in its third quarter, having been down 6 per cent in the first half.
Deliveroo shares were up 1.31 per cent or 1.90p to 147.20p on Wednesday afternoon, having risen over 70 per cent in the last year.
