Dija’s game-changing 10-minute grocery delivery service is now live in London – and it comes with a speed and reliability guarantee

Londoners can now order groceries and have them delivered to their homes within just 10 minutes thanks to the launch of ultrafast neighbourhood delivery service, Dija.

Founded by former Deliveroo executives Alberto Menolascina and Yusuf Saban, Dija builds on the recent success, and soaring popularity, of food and grocery delivery services, but ups the ante with a guarantee of both speed and reliability. If your order doesn’t arrive in 10 minutes, Dija will deliver free for the next three months under the terms of their no quibble 10 minute turnaround guarantee.*

Dija is creating the leading online grocery marketplace, operating from hubs within the local communities it serves. Now operating in South Kensington, Fulham and Hackney, Dija will have opened 20 further hubs, covering central London and Zone 2, by the summer. The Dija app can be found on Apple’s App store and will shortly also be available for Android.

Co-founder and CEO of Dija Alberto Menolascina, said: “Gone are the days of fighting for online slots, damaged goods and disappointing substitutions. Dija is here to change every hassle we experience with the weekly shop. We are making this time-consuming and unsatisfactory experience simple, speedy and reliable. Dija combines brilliant execution with bespoke technology to create an exceptional experience for customers across the UK, freeing up their time and energy by delivering what consumers want, when they want it.”

Available to over 3 million Londoners by summer

Trials of Dija in South Kensington and Fulham have seen customers quickly convert to regular shoppers, who use the service to satisfy their everyday grocery needs. Up to 40% of daily orders are placed by returning customers, and the service is top rated by 95% of customers, resulting in 300% order growth since launch. For busy parents balancing work and homeschooling, or those who are self-isolating, the trials have given customers a new safe and reliable way to buy and receive high-quality groceries and snacks, from home. With 20 hubs covering areas including Clapham, Wandsworth, Acton, Islington, Mayfair, Stockwell and Clerkenwell due to open by summer, more than 3 million Londoners will be able to access Dija.

No Quibble Ten-Minute-Turnaround Guaranteed!

To guarantee speed, Dija’s hubs are located within densely populated urban areas, right on customers' doorstep, enabling them to deliver within 10 minutes. To guarantee reliability, each hub carries more than 2,000 products sold at recommended retail prices. Dija uses data to improve efficiency and spot buying patterns so that its customers do not have to put up with substitutions or missing items.

Customers will be able to buy branded food and non-perishable items, as well as fresh produce. Dija offers the best of both worlds – the quality and peace of mind customers seek from national retailers, combined with the family feel of local neighbourhood stores.

In fact, the company is so confident in its ability to deliver exactly what is requested in the allotted time, that it is offering customers free deliveries for three months, if it does not.

Supporting communities

Dija will help its loyal customers save time, save money and buy only what they need when they need it. The startup is investing in its own fleet of e-bikes to improve the sustainability of the delivery service and is making the safety and working conditions of its workers a priority from the outset, with vehicles, bags and uniforms chosen to keep delivery riders and drivers safe and visible on the streets.

Building a $100bn grocery business in a rapidly growing market

Even before the pandemic turbocharged the food delivery market, grocery delivery apps and platforms had been rising in popularity and the market is predicted to be worth $117 billion by 2023. Consumers are embracing online shopping like never before, with research from Capgemini suggesting that 56% of UK consumers expect to get online deliveries at least once a week by 2021. New eating and shopping habits formed during lockdowns are also likely to stick when the pandemic is over, with 57% of consumers valuing food more than they did before and 60% saying that changes to their shopping habits will stick, according to research from Waitrose. Some 39% of consumers have tried alternative food delivery services during the pandemic.

In the past three months, investors have put hundreds of millions of dollars into food delivery apps and rapid delivery grocery startups, operating from local ‘dark’ warehouses in dense urban areas. Dija itself raised $20 million at the end of December – one of Europe’s largest ever at seed stage - from Blossom Capital, Creandum, Index Ventures. Dija’s funding will allow the startup to invest in building its team and the operational and technological infrastructure that underpin its offering.

Ophelia Brown, co-founder at Blossom Capital, said: “Dija has the potential to be a $100bn+ company. It puts the needs of its customers, and the expectations of an increasing digital market, at the heart of everything it does. Alberto and Yusuf’s experience is integral to their perspective on how to create a viable solution to the problems with grocery shopping and it’s one that millions of people stand to benefit from across the globe. We look forward to partnering with them on this journey.”

Menolascina was Director of Corporate Strategy and Yusuf Saban was Chief of Staff to the CEO at Deliveroo, which is expected to list shortly. Menolascina also co-founded Everli, a same-day grocery delivery company in Italy, and more recently served as a senior executive at REEF Technology.

*Dija’s 10-minute delivery offer applies only in its first month of operation.

Additional quotes:

Yusuf Saban, co-founder and COO at Dija said: “Dija will deliver all the goods you require on a weekly basis in under 10 minutes. Grocery stores aren’t designed to facilitate the fast fulfilment of orders, rather they are designed for browsing. We have put a 10 minute delivery speed and consummate reliability at the front and centre. Our hubs are designed so that pick and pack and fulfillment is the fastest possible.”

Carl Fritjofsson, Partner at Creandum said: “We've scanned all of Europe for the next generation grocery shopping experience, and if anyone is going to deliver it, it's Alberto and Yusuf. Their impressive track record and vision is what’s needed to become a leader in this space, and I can’t wait to see where Dija goes and to join them on this mission.”

Georgia Stevenson, Principal at Index Ventures, the backers of Deliveroo, Just Eat and Good Eggs, said: "Dija is helping to reignite our love of cooking. Removing the friction and time costs around recipe planning, it enables consumers to cook what they want, when they want. With Dija, we can be as spontaneous when it comes to home cooking as we are with ordering last-minute restaurant deliveries. We're excited to work with the former Deliveroo team on this new and exciting venture."

About Dija:

Founded by Alberto Menolascina and Yusuf Saban in 2020, Dija is building the next-generation solution to revolutionise grocery shopping. Dija customers will be able to order groceries and have them delivered in 10 minutes from local hubs. Dija is backed by Blossom Capital, Creandum and Index Ventures.