Rapido partners Big Basket, Big Bazaar & Spencer's for essential deliveries across 90 cities
Rapido deploys 70% of its fleet for last-mile essential-goods delivery during the COVID-19 lockdown, waiving commission for grocery partners Big Basket, Big Bazaar and Spencer's Retail. Talks are underway with Grofers, Dunzo and FreshtoHome to widen the network.
What happened
Rapido partners with Big Basket, Big Bazaar and Spencer's Retail for last-mile essential deliveries across 90 Indian cities during COVID-19 lockdown, deploying
Key facts
- 90 cities
- 70 percent fleet
- 14 April lockdown lift
- 118 deaths
- 4,300 cases
Why this matters
Rapido's active talks with Grofers, Dunzo and FreshtoHome to widen its grocery network mark it as an increasingly central last-mile aggregator and a candidate for partnership or acquisition conversations.
What to watch
- Announcement of paid/commission-based delivery terms replacing the waiver
- Closure of Grofers/Dunzo/FreshtoHome partnerships
- Grocers publicly ramping captive rider hiring
- Rapido fleet reallocation % shifting back toward passenger rides as lockdown lifts
- Regulatory clarity on gig-rider safety/insurance during essential deliveries
- Fresh funding round citing delivery vertical in the thesis
- Rapido converts waiver to a tiered commission model once volume and reliability are proven
- Grofers, Dunzo, FreshtoHome deals close, formalizing a multi-tenant delivery network
- Ola/Uber and food-delivery players (Swiggy, Zomato) accelerate their own grocery last-mile pivots
- Grocers negotiate exclusivity or dedicated-fleet SLAs to protect margins
- Rapido spins out a branded 'Rapido Delivery / Rapido Boxx' vertical with separate rider ops