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Dija starts to expand beyond London as it targets UK and European operations

Dija co-founders Alberto Menolascina and Yusuf Saban. Image courtesy of Dija

Dija co-founders Alberto Menolascina and Yusuf Saban. Image courtesy of Dija

Ten minute grocery delivery company Dija is expanding its services beyond London after buying Cambridge delivery start-up Genie. 

Dija, which launched earlier this month in South Kensington, Fulham and Hackney following trials last year, says Genie’s founders Tim Chan and Callum MacBeth will now join the Dija launch team to support growth outside of the capital.

Dija is on track to have 20 more hubs across the capital by this summer – and then plans to expand across the UK and Europe by the end of the year. That expansion starts with the acquisition of Genie, which launched last year to deliver snacks, drinks and everyday essentials within 15 minutes to Cambridge postcodes. 

Dija co-founder and chief executive Alberto Menolascina said: “The grocery delivery space is going through its biggest shakeup in decades. Our ultrafast delivery service is changing the way people shop, helping to free up customer time and ensure they can get what they want when they want it. But our ambitions aren’t limited to inside the M25. I’m delighted that Tim and Callum are joining the Dija family to ensure more people can access this reliable and efficient service across the UK and Europe.”

Genie co-founder and chief executive Tim Chan says: “We’re excited to join forces with the team at Dija and continue our shared mission to bring everyday items to your door in a matter of minutes. 

“For our existing customer base this deal means access to more products, better prices and even faster delivery times. We’ve had a tremendous response in Cambridge so far, and look forward to bringing Dija to many more regions across the UK in the coming months.” 

Our view: If successful, the Dija service will help make a reality of the long-held vision of being able to order for immediate delivery. Its launch now comes as shoppers are more likely to be at home and as yet, says Dija, it has an average customer satisfaction rating of 95%, while 40% of orders come from returning customers. 

The company has rivals: Getir promises groceries from a range of more than 1,000 products within minutes of ordering for delivery to select areas of London TFL zones one and two “in minutes”, while slower but still fast grocery deliveries are available from companies including Buymie and, indeed, Deliveroo, where Dija’s founders started out. 

Consolidation through deals such as this one is likely. Dija launched with $20m in venture capital backing – so can be expected to expand fairly quickly, as long as its model stays competitive.

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