Rocket Internet’s online food ordering platform foodpanda has launched in 12 new emerging-market countries as it looks to secure what is set to be a hefty funding round. The company, which helps takeaway restaurants increase sales through mobile and provides them with improved analytics, is now active in a total of 23 countries including its first European markets – Hungary, Poland, Russia and Ukraine.
Other new countries include Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Mexico, Peru and Senegal. The online food aggregation space is a crowded one – Germany has the likes of Lieferheld, Lieferando and Pizza.de, for example – and so Rocket is using its tried and trusted method of taking a proven business model to new markets.
Under foodpanda and its other affiliated brands foodalia, foodnation, hellofood, hungrypanda and pidiendo, the company offers end users a choice of takeaway food, with orders processed on its platform and sent to the appropriate restaurant. It had previously concentrated to some extent on the Asian market, being active in Taiwan, Pakistan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, India and Malaysia, along with Morocco, Nigeria and Colombia.
According to TechCrunch, the high level of competition is why foodpanda is looking for a large funding round, and the expansion will also allow Rocket to grow some of its other companies such as mobile payment platform Payleven, which can be used to process user payments for food.
Ralf Wenzel, formerly group COO at Skrill Holdings, is now managing director of foodpanda. He said: “We have built strong relationships with thousands of partners, including the best restaurants in every country. That is how we provide the greatest culinary variety online. We see an impressive demand for food ordering online user-friendly, fast and most convenient.”