Grab’s acquisition of the Southeast Asian business of rival Uber Technologies, has not only made the Singapore firm a dominant player in the region’s ride-hailing market, but it will also make GrabFood one of the biggest food delivery businesses in SEA.
The acquisition includes Grab’s immediate takeover of Uber Eats, a major player in the region’s food delivery service.
Grab said that it will integrate its existing GrabFood business – which is already present in Indonesia and Thailand – with Uber Eats, and expand to two other countries, namely Singapore and Malaysia.
By the second quarter of this year, it intends to make GrabFood available across all major Southeast Asian countries.
Uber Eats App Available Till End-May
While GrabFood is relatively new, Uber Eats has already made its mark in the region, with the app ranking well in Singapore and Malaysia.
Regionwide, Uber Eats competes against local players Honestbee, Deliveroo and Foodpanda.
Although Uber has ceased its ride-hailing services today, the Uber Eats app will run until the end of May.
Thereafter, Uber delivery and restaurant partners will move to the GrabFood platform.
Grab and Uber are currently working together to promptly migrate Uber drivers and riders, Uber Eats customers, merchant partners, and delivery partners to the Grab platform.
According to the website, customers can expect the prices on GrabFood to remain the same as they were on Uber Eats.
Restaurant and delivery partners also should not expect to see a change in their compensation during the transition, it added.
“With the new GrabFood app, we strive to become one of Southeast Asia’s largest and most popular food delivery services, offering an expansive geographic reach and quality range to suit every palate and wallet,” said a Grab spokesperson.
According to Grab, the mobile app is in beta phase and its service is currently being tested out in Geylang, Downtown (CBD) and Farrer Park.
Featured Image Credit: amanz.my