HappyFresh may re-enter PH via Grab tieup

Jakarta-based grocery delivery provider HappyFresh hopes to eventually offer its services again in the Philippines under a tieup with ride-hailing firm Grab.

In a chance interview last week, company CEO Guillem Segarra said the company’s goal was to expand its commercial footprint across Southeast Asia.

Segarra said the company intended to focus on its core markets—Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.

However, he said HappyFresh was considering to expand next year, although it had yet to decide on the expansion details.

Nevertheless, after entering into a partnership with  Grab, he said “international expansion seems an easier hurdle to jump through.”

“Our vision and mission has always been [about] providing groceries for all families in [the region],” he said.

“We are definitely going to be in the Philippines and Vietnam, across Southeast Asia, eventually” he said.

The company entered the Philippines in 2016 but left in the same year, based on reports.

Segarra was interviewed on the sidelines of an event hosted by Grab in its headquarters in Singapore, where Grab announced its vision of becoming Southeast Asia’s “everyday app.”

Integral to this goal is the company’s GrabPlatform, which was launched last week. It will allow firms to integrate with Grab, giving these firms a wider reach while Grab gets to offer its users other services via the app.

HappyFresh served as a working example for this project, partnering with Grab to come up with GrabFresh.