Glovo expands to Rongai, Ngong as demand grows

Glovo will this week expand its services to Ongata Rongai and Ngong areas in its latest bid to increase its footprint in the country, amid growing demand for home and office deliveries.

This, as the newly appointed General Manager for Kenya, Priscilla Muhiu, rolls up her sleeves to drive the growth of the on-demand delivery start-up, which has played a key role in serving households, offices, and institutions during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

Muhiu was appointed GM last Tuesday, taking over from William Benthall, who now heads Glovo Sub-Saharan Africa business as the General Manager.

In an interview with the Star on Friday, Muhiu said business expansion and widening of deliverables are among her priorities at the helm of the company which launched in Kenya in December 2018.

It currently has a presence in Nairobi, Kitengela, Nakuru, and Mombasa where it has partnered with retail stores, food chains and individual businesses to deliver customer orders.

The firm is also targeting Kisumu and Eldoret by end of this year, Muhiu said, with growth being driven by demand which during the pandemic, the firm has increased partner stores and businesses to above 3,000, offering a wide range of products.

These include food, groceries, drinks, clothing, courier services among others.

“Anything legal can be delivered. We are going to combine Rongai and Ngong in our expansion. We are expanding to where our customers and partners are,” Muhiu said.

The country has witnessed growing competition among tech-based delivery businesses, accelerated by the pandemic, which has changed shopping patterns as thousands work from home to minimise the spread of the virus.

According to Muhiu, the growing delivery space has created an opportunity for more brands to become visible online, unlike traditional shopping trends where customers pick the exact brands they want from the stores.

“People were skeptical about online shopping but this is changing. We expect online shopping to continue growing. Companies that don't evolve may suffer,” Muhiu said.

The firm which delivers almost everything has partnered with wholesalers to serve individuals and businesses that need wholesale services.

“We are looking at everyone in the market and ready to serve them,” Muhiu said.

During this pandemic period, Glovo has seen grocery orders in Kenya rise by more than 30 per cent, with a 25 per cent increase in the sale of cleaning agents and hygiene products.

Muhiu is expected to help the multi-category platform increase its market share in the wake of the growing competition by other players.

Prior to her appointment, she was the Africa marketing head for Glovo, where she led the team that successfully launched the Glovo brand in Kenya and Côte d'Ivoire.

Her previous experience includes working with tech companies such as Sendy and OLX.

She has 13 years in business development and marketing — nine of which have been spent working specifically with tech companies.