Weezy competitor Jiffy grabs £2.6 million for superfast grocery delivery in London

Online grocery delivery startup Jiffy that aims to deliver groceries and essentials in about 15 minutes raises £2.6 million. The capital was raised by Jiffy in a seed funding round as it prepares itself for launch. It is basically an on-demand service that aims to cater to customers within minutes and that too without minimum orders or substitutions.

Its backers include venture capitalist fund LVL1 Group and participation from TA Ventures, AddVentures, Vladimir Kholiaznikov, along with angel investors Dominique Locher, Oskar Hartmann and Alexander Nevinskiy.

Where will Jiffy use the funds?

Online grocery delivery firm Jiffy says that it will be using the funds to launch its stores in London, hopefully by March end itself. It aims to make its services available in Westminster, Lambeth, Waterloo, Shoreditch, Bethnal Green, Battersea, Whitechapel, Hackney, Leytonstone and Stepney Green.

The ultrafast online grocery delivery company will then launch 20 local fulfillment hubs across the United Kingdom. Jiffy has joined the club of a host of European tech startups that have raised capital on the promise of delivering groceries and household essentials within 15-20 mins of ordering. This is done by building their own hyperlocal and fulfilment centres and recruiting delivering personnel.

Jiffy’s first dark store will be opening in London in March 2021 and will offer a total range of 2,000 SKUs from local suppliers and brands across fresh, ambient, chilled and household categories. 

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Jiffy Founder on raising capital

Artur Shamalov, Founder of Jiffy says that we are living in 2021 when one can purchase a ticket to Mars but still can’t get groceries delivered to their doorstep when they need it. For most customers in the UK, the online grocery shopping experience is frustrating as slots aren’t available for days and charge a premium fee for rapid delivery (and still takes hours for delivery), says Shamalov. Jiffy’s founder believes that this should be this way and getting access to groceries should be as affordable and accessible as shopping at an offline grocery shop, just with the convenience of ultrafast delivery.

Jiffy’s goal is to make it as accessible as possible for a wide audience, from busy parents juggling work and raising children to an individual with an active social life to busy professionals in urban areas for whom saving time on grocery shopping means they can use use it for doing things they really enjoy, says the Founder. Jiffy also thinks of the vulnerable people who are not feeling safe going to supermarkets in times of the pandemic. He adds that they shouldn’t have to be worried about their safety when they are out of milk or bread, nor should they have to wait hours or days for their order to arrive.

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