Independent stores partnered with Uber Eats have seen an uptick in demand in areas previously covered by Getir, after its exit in April, according to Alexander Troughton, director of Grocery and Retail UK at Uber.

He said: “We have seen an uptick in demand in areas previously covered by Getir – they used to sit on our application for demand anyway. We saw all of that demand that was on Getir basically taken in by our independents.”

He added that other “quick commerce players” Uber Eats works with, like Zapp and GoPuff, haven’t seen a drop in demand.

“In fact it’s probably gone the other way. And we’re excited to continually drive that demand to SMBs and or independents – traditionally that late night stuff would’ve gone to Getir but now it’s going to them.”

The news was confirmed at Uber Eats’ showcase for the launch of its Courier Pick and Pack, which will see orders to be selected and packed by couriers in major retailers in autumn, with the initiative ‘potentially’ hitting independent stores soon too.

Consumers are connected with an Uber Eats courier, who will go into the supermarket directly and pick and pack their order, followed by delivering the shopping to their doorstep

Susan Anderson, global head of Uber Grocery and Retail, said: “It’s very clear that grocery shopping trends have fundamentally changed. Our busy lifestyles mean we physically go to the supermarket for a big shop less frequently and prefer to rely more on apps like Uber Eats to order fresh grocery ingredients when we want them.”

Uber has not yet released the list of partnered retailers, and the rollout of Courier Pick and Pack is to be phased.  

The launch has been announced alongside the delivery app’s latest data, finding that in the past two years the number of people who have placed a grocery order on Uber Eats in the UK has nearly doubled.

As well as this, Uber Eats discovered that its consumers are veering towards fresh orders over confectionary, with 74% of grocery growth has been driven by the fresh produce category in the last two years. The peak time for ordering was found to be Mondays between 6pm-7pm.

“In the UK the trend is fascinating in the way it reflects people’s desire to eat healthily – and their increasing familiarity with using our tech to make their lives easier,” Anderson continued. “We’ve become a global leader in the field, and is the reason why we are launching new products like Courier Pick and Pack, which we believe will change the way that people shop for groceries.”

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