Almaty Embraces New Food Delivery Service

Kazakhstani Chocofamily has launched a new food delivery project called Ryadom. It operates via the Rakhmet mobile app and guarantees delivery in 15 minutes.

The project was launched in a test mode within a certain area between Seifullin – Abay – Manas – Gabdullin streets and offers about 2500 items in 19 product groups. The service’s warehouse is located at the crossing of Bukhar-ZhyrauStreet and Vesnovka River. 

According to the company, the test period will last several months. It did not specify how much money was poured into the project. 

Chocofamily believes that investors will be interested in Ryadom and is expecting $15-20 million of investments. The company plans to open 30 delivery warehouses in Almaty and 15 in Nur-Sultan by the end of 2021 and launch a project in the other 15 cities of Kazakhstan by the end of 2022.

As Chocofamily noted, consumers can use Ryadom to be able to control the date of manufacture and the expiration date for the products they buy.

«If the user does not like the product, he can take his money back just by using a mobile app with no disputes and worries,» said Kuanysh Ablaev, the co-founder of the Ryadom project. If regulators won’t mind, adult consumers would also be able to order cigarettes or alcohol.

Earlier in June as Kursiv reported, the number of shoppers who switched to online surged dramatically amid the pandemic and lockdown. For example, the number of calls to the Instashop.kz service has risen 15 times compared to the pre-quarantine level. The number of calls to the Froot.kz food delivery service soared by almost 600%.

Another delivery service in Almaty, Arbuz.kz, reports about a sevenfold increase in demand since the beginning of the year. International delivery brand Glovo is also available in Kazakhstan. Delivery of food from restaurants, groceries from stores and medicines from pharmacies can be ordered via its mobile application.

Similar delivery service Samokat appeared in Russia in 2018. Its couriers deliver food in 15-30 minutes within Moscow and St. Petersburg with no charge from consumers.