Investment

Ireland-headquartered online grocery delivery platform Buymie, has raised £5.2m (€5.8m) funding to drive its European expansion, bringing total funds raised this year to €8m.

The latest investment round was led by a new investor into the business – Wheatsheaf Group, the food and agriculture investment arm of the Grosvenor Estate.

Follow-on investments were also committed from existing backers including: Act Venture Capital, Sure Valley Ventures, Haatch Ventures, and HBAN. Other notable investors include Keith Weed, former Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for Unilever, and Scott Weavers Wright former Managing Director of Morrisons.com.

Buymie claims to be the leading player in Ireland’s same-day grocery delivery market, and works with retail partners including Lidl and The Co-op to help provide a same-day ‘concierge’ delivery service to their customers.

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UK TECH INVESTMENTS IN 2020

The firm recently launched in the UK, with availability in the Bristol metropolitan area in partnership with The Co-op and other UK retailers. The funds recently raised will enable Buymie to continue rapid market expansion both in Ireland and in the UK, with 15 other UK cities currently being considered.

The firm said the new funds will also allow the company to focus on environmental initiatives including limiting the use of secondary plastic packaging, reducing private car journeys, and incentive programmes to help facilitate a switch to electric vehicles.

Devan Hughes, CEO & Co-Founder of Buymie said: “The success of our Lidl partnership has demonstrated just how much appetite there is for our service, and how important seamless delivery is to retailers’ reputations. They have been a fantastic partner for Buymie.”

Katrin Burt, Managing Director at investor Wheatsheaf added: “We are excited by the potential for Buymie to lead in same-day grocery delivery across the UK and Ireland with its nimble and scalable approach. The investment aligns with Wheatsheaf’s goals to empower consumers with high quality and sustainable food choices and builds on our growing portfolio throughout the food and agriculture supply chain.”