Grofers not keen in liquor delivery business

Online grocery platform Grofers is not keen to enter into the business of liquor delivery saying it serves mostly families, even as its main competitor BigBasket is set to foray into doorstep supply of alcoholic beverages.

SoftBank backed Grofers, which currently operates in 27 cities of the country, has lined up USD 25-30 million over the next two years to strengthen its in-house brands.

Other delivery majors like Swiggy and Zomato are already in the delivery of liquor while e-commerce giant Amazon is also set to play in this segment.

"We serve families mostly, so not looking to get into this," Grofers co-founder and CEO Albinder Dhindsa told PTI.

Amazon and Alibaba-backed BigBasket have got approval to deliver liquor in West Bengal.

BigBasket said this will be the company''s first foray into the country''s liquor delivery segment.

"We are happy to add a new category to our range. We are now working on creating the supply chain and building the category on BigBasket. This is a good value addition for our existing customers and helps increase the basket size.

"We look forward to partnering with other state governments as and when the opportunity arises and regulations permit us to do so," BigBasket CEO Hari Menon said.

Researches noted that India''s online grocery market could see a whopping 76 per cent hike compared to USD 1.7 billion last year. The growth was attributed to the demand for fresh produce and staples during the nation-wide lockdown.

Grofers shipped 44 million items last month and since the lockdown, it has served 4.2 million households by the end of May.

"Grofers is looking to invest USD 25-50 million in its own brands and supply chain combined over the next two years," Dhindsa said.