Foodpanda planning six locations in Japan

Food-delivery service Foodpanda is to launch in Japan, its 12th market in Asia.

During the first phase of the launch, Foodpanda will roll out its service in six cities, including Nagoya, Sapporo, and Hiroshima. The move is part of Foodpanda’s strategy to strengthen its presence in Asia Pacific, with Japan one of the largest and most mature of the region’s consumer markets.

The service has been launched in three cities – Kobe, Yokohama, and Nagoya – with Foodpanda saying it will commence in other cities from October 1.

“This is a market we have long admired, and this market expansion is an important step in making food and grocery delivery accessible to everyone in Asia,” says Eric Wei, CEO at Foodpanda Japan.

Foodpanda Japan will also invest to grow its quick-commerce, where customers will be able to get their groceries within 25 minutes. The Foodpanda app will also offer an in-store pick-up feature.

The demand for food delivery in Japan has been increasing due to Covid-19. According to Statista Market Outlook, the online food delivery segment in Japan is expected to record 23.6-per-cent growth this year.

“In the first half of this year, we expedited onboarding and doubled the number of merchants and riders on our platform across the region so their businesses can survive the economic impact, while rider partners can continue to earn a living,” said Jakob Sebastian Angele, CEO at Foodpanda APAC.

The company said it aims to expand to more markets in the Asia Pacific region. Founded in 2012, Foodpanda operates in more than 300 cities across 12 countries.