If the pandemic has brought something good for someone, that would undoubtedly be the delivery sector. Since the confinement began in Spain in March 2020 – which ended up lasting much more than the initial two weeks – many Spaniards increased their food purchases at home. Others did it for the first time and jumped on the bandwagon of the multiple apps that operate in Spain. Now, the company Gorillas joins this list and arrives in the country to break with a market that is beginning to settle: that of fast deliveries.
As of this Tuesday at 5:00 p.m., the German company begins to operate to deliver food and household products in less than 10 minutes. Under the new behavior of the food consumer that they define as “Need-Order-Get” , Gorillas plans to establish alliances with local suppliers for its delivery service. The idea is that the client asks through the app in shops near his neighborhood, so that the rider can travel by ecobici. “Thanks to the fact that our distributors have an assigned area and will deliver products from small local businesses, they will be able to establish ties with the community of the neighborhood in which they are, facilitating communication and establishing trust in the service”, explained to Hipertextual Magdalena Szuszkiewicz, Manager Gorillas General for Spain.
The Gorillas model replicates others already operating in Spain such as Dija. But it promises to turn the fast delivery market upside down, which is growing every day and the Germans are trying to conquer. Their power as a unicorn protects them. Gorillas raised 245 million euros in series B in March and the value of the company reached one billion euros in just nine months.
Gorillas against food waste
Photo by Dan Gold on Unsplash In Madrid, the unicorn begins operations today in the neighborhoods of Salamanca and Chamberí, with the idea of expanding the service to other areas of the capital. Next up will be Barcelona, Valencia, Marbella, Alicante, Murcia, Ibiza and Mallorca in July, with plans for further expansion later in the year.
Behind Gorilla there is a new option within the delivery ecosystem but also a mission:
“By offering such a fast and reliable service, we are able to combat food waste, since users only ask for what they need, when they need it. Thus avoiding the tedious trips to the supermarket where we usually buy more than we need, so that later goes bad in the fridge just a few days later. ”
Magdalena Szuszkiewicz, General Manager of Gorillas for Spain. The Manager cited a study by the European EIT Food consortium that places Spain in second place among the countries that give the most importance to healthy eating after the pandemic. Also the intention to cook more assiduously. This makes Spain an interesting market but for Gorillas but also one in which there are deeply ingrained shopping habits. Such as shopping weekly at the supermarket or the from physically going to the market to buying fresh products such as fruit or fish.
Do we need a delivery service in 10 minutes?
Gorillas are not afraid of these habits; What's more, he wants to integrate into this buying culture with his fast deliveries. He also does his bit to end practices such as taking the car to go make a large purchase, with the emissions that that supposes. And above all help reduce food waste with faster and more frequent purchases.
Beyond the impact on the environment that traditional shopping habits can have, Gorilla claims to come as a response to the demands of a market that wants to do things differently. New ways of consumption in which immediacy prevails .
Do we really need a fast delivery service in 10 minutes? “People's life is more and more spontaneous and buying habits change accordingly. Gorillas will create a completely new consumer behavior, actually, it is quite simple,” explained Magdalena Szuszkiewicz to this medium. “Imagine that we go back in time to the Stone Age, what would you do when you get hungry? Would you wait until Saturday or would you go immediately to look for food? We visualize a world with immediate access to essential needs, as our ancestors used to do “.
The forced modernization of small businesses
An immediate access in which many providers have had to renew themselves in order not to die. There are still many small businesses in different parts of Spain that have not seen modernization as a priority , especially with regard to card payments or through platforms such as Bizum. Despite the fact that fewer and fewer businesses have stayed, there is still a gap compared to the UK and German markets.
Gorillas intends to partner with local suppliers in different cities of Spain
The pandemic has been for some of these establishments a warning signal that they have had to listen to in order to survive months of confinement and the boom in home deliveries. “Many of those businesses are still not benefiting from these technological advances, such as farm workers and fishermen. At Gorillas we want to make sure that everyone has the ability to grow their businesses, without having to invest personally in your own supply chain or delivery services, “highlighted Szuszkiewicz.
The strategy is similar to that carried out by platforms such as Glovo or Deliveroo for restaurants during the coronavirus crisis. With the intention of avoiding the investment of the logistics network, these platforms also help to avoid much more ferocious marketing campaigns to make themselves known. Nonetheless, none is freed from the commissions to these companies for providing these services.
Gorillas, which comes from operating in cities such as London, Paris, Berlin or Amsterdam, is in search of new alliances with local suppliers in a mission in which they already have La Colmenareña, Hola Coffee and Puchero as partners. As of this moment there are already 2,000 products in the app.
Gorillas, the unicorn without fear of competition
Gorillas The German unicorn arrives at a time when times are good for delivery. Although the idea of Gorillas is not a competitor with the big ones in the market such as Deliveroo or Glovo. Especially since the objective is different. At a time when the question arises of if we need another home delivery platform , Gorillas is described as a good proxy, as a good complement and an important player in the ecosystem.
Those who made it to the express delivery market are not a problem for the company either. Magdalena Szuszkiewicz refers to startups as “friends” for sharing the mission in favor of the environment and that helps to promote more sustainable shopping habits. “It is such a big mission that even if there are 10 players in it, there is a lot of room to grow. Our competition is not our friends with the same mission, they are the traditional forms of human behavior, of consumption, which are not good for the consumer or for the providers, “he told Hipertextual.
In the near future, they expect penetration to increase, not only for those customers who have already had past experiences with delivery services. In this sense, the pandemic has been a good time for many people to jump on the food delivery car, especially those of advanced age.
The Rider Law, the eternal problem
Gorillas also comes at a time when delivery platforms are in the spotlight. Behind the controversy is the problematic Rider Law, approved in May despite the refusal of a large part of the sector. It is, however, the way in which the riders become personnel hired by the companies. And for Gorillas, the mechanism to achieve stable and safe working conditions.
“We are the first company in the industry to actually employ more than 6000 delivery men, which guarantees stable income, private health insurance, accident insurance, food discounts and the possibility of a career in our company, “said the unicorn. They added that 400 distributors have promoted to other positions in the company and that, after the financing round, the riders received a bonus.
Conditions that compete with the large delivery platforms in Spain and that come at a time when the rider sector has no brake when it comes to denouncing injustices. Gorilla's arrival in Spain promises to side with riders, promote a sustainable purchasing model and facilitate the process for customers. A new delivery platform reaches a more than flourishing Spanish market and in which there is no shortage of options of all colors. In this case, Gorillas is not described as business people “who build a delivery company, we are delivery experts who build a business. “
