The Future of Food Demand --- a nd we're talking industry here, not us --- is bright
As our staff gets ready to leave for Dallas and our first ever Food on Demand Conference,
we're giving you Part 1 of the March e-newsletter. Part 2 will be our coverage of the event itself. I don't envy Tom Kaiser and Nicholas Upton the job
of delivering an overview to kick-off the conference, because this is a multi-faceted industry that is constantly changing, consolidating and pushing
the envelope. For instance, as I was reading over my news feed last night, I saw several items that caught my eye: venture-capital tracker, CB
Insights, reported that the total investments for food delivery start-ups is $703 million so far this year (two-thirds of everything raised during all
of 2016); the Salvation Army is opening its first grocery store; value-proposition grocer Aldi and Kohl's department store are looking for real estate
next door to each other; and autonomous vehicles are not immune to road rage, at least in California. You gotta love the diversity in
subject matter. If you can't join us in Dallas, March 19 and 20, be sure you watch your inbox the third-or fourth-week of this month for the
highlights. And in the meantime, don't skip reading this e-newsletter. It's full of news, insights on the future of cities and company
maneuverings. Just don't try reading it while driving. Keep your attention on the task at hand, especially now that we know the appearance of
driverless cars can provoke road rage.
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-Nancy Monroe Editor of Food On Demand Nancyw@foodondemandnews.com
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| How Delivery Will Change Cities
By Tom Kaiser I love
cities, but have concerns about how the latest crop of high-tech upgrades will impact city life at the street and sidewalk level. Thanks to
advancements like delivery robots, autonomous taxis and drones, which will eventually hit the urban scene in a big way, the one certainty is that
cities of the future will look, feel and operate much different than they do today. Read More |
| The Logic Behind
Snap Kitchen's Pivot
Meal delivery is tough, just look at the recent news around Blue Apron, the stock is tanking and one stock watcher
says there's "no surviving" the crowded market which now counts Walmart and Weight Watchers as new entrants. Read More
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Bite Squad Plans Test of Tesla Model 3s for Delivery Fleet
By Laura Michaels In its
first step to transitioning the company's existing hybrid-electric fleet to fully electric vehicles in the coming years, Bite Squad will test the
Tesla Model 3 as part of its food delivery vehicle fleet. The initial test will be in Bite Squad's home market of Minneapolis; the restaurant delivery
service operates in more than 30 markets across the country. Read More
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| | Tales Spun Round the Web
Bulkbox Aims for Affordable Bulk Food
Delivery Seeking to make organic, healthy foods accessible and affordable to more households, Bulkbox Foods launched
this month, working directly with farmers to provide organic produce and grass-fed meats straight to the consumer. To offer what it says in the most
cost-effective price, Bulkbox Foods doesn't further process any of its products and is not a meal kit service.
Instacart Valuation Tops $4 Billion with New
Funding Instacart cannot stop raising money. The third-party grocery delivery firm just picked up a $200 million
investment in a funding round lead by tech investors, Coatue Management and Glade Brook Capital Partners, along with prior investors. The new
investment means Instacart is now valued at $4.2 billion, up just shy of a billion since March of 2017 and the firm's last funding round when it
received $400 million from investors.
Zara Looks to Robots for Order Pickups While the trendy clothing retailer Zara hasn't gotten into the
world of food, a new test could hint at the future of restaurant pickup lines. Much like food retailers, the clothing brand has been incredibly
focused on digital orders. And like the most successful digitally focused restaurants, its brick-and-mortar stores soon became long lines of people
eager to just pick up their order. Study: Third-Party Delivery to Grow 13.5%
Annually According to research firm and food-industry consultant, Pentallect, the third-party food delivery segment is
poised for strong growth in the coming years. According to the firm, the currently $13 billion market is projected to grow at 13.5 percent annual rate
to reach $24.5 billion by 2022.
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