For years, Mr D has been delivering meals on demand. With a tap on its app, customers have access to more than 10 000 restaurants. More recently, it has added convenience stores with daily discounts to its offering.

Now Mr D, which is owned by Takealot Group, is turning into a full-service on-demand marketplace where users can shop for pet care, liquor, groceries and gifts. And it’s promising that in most cases, items will reach customers in less than one hour.

The collaboration is almost certainly in response to Shoprite Holdings’ highly successful Checkers Sixty60 delivery service, which also promises deliveries within an hour of ordering (where feasible).

Sixty60 customers get their delivery for free (note: not the order itself) if an order arrives more than 30 minutes after the estimated time of arrival, or if an order contains fewer than 80% of a customer’s first-choice products. The service guarantee is a first in the South African on-demand grocery delivery space and other retailers are obviously keen to follow suit.

Mr D’s partnership with Pick n Pay has proved a hit, as Pick n Pay offers a wide range of goods while Mr D provides the tech and delivery network. And more retailers are being added to the mix, expanding what’s on offer from South African staples to more niche offerings.

“We’re always looking for ways to add value to our customer’s lives,” said Mr D CEO Alex Wörz in a statement. “This is why, in addition to doing what we do best — food — we are now bringing convenience as a service to our customers through our retail partnerships.

Takealot ordered to split retail, marketplace operations

“By letting local businesses list their products for delivery on our app, we’re giving independent organisations a chance to grow their operations sustainably while avoiding the high costs of setting up their own e-commerce channel.”