Didi Food is hungry for more of the Mexican market

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Contxto – Last Wednesday (22), Didi Food announced that it’s further expanding its delivery service platform in Mexico. It will now be operating in Toluca, Aguascalientes, Saltillo, Torreón, and Chihuahua. Moreover, it shall not only bring grub to users’ doors, it shall also complete runs to pharmacies and convenience stores.

Prior to this expansion, it was only available in the country’s three largest cities: Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Monterrey.

Didi takes one for the team?

What convinced the food-delivering giant to move forward with this expansion both in geographic terms and in its range of service offerings? 

According to Maria Pia Lindley, Ops Lead at Didi Food North & South in Mexico, the last-mile delivery company is basically doing this to help others cope with the coronavirus pandemic.

“Now more than ever we need to channel our efforts towards generating alternative income sources and bringing the benefits of tech to more people and businesses,” said the executive.

“We at Didi Food carry the great responsibility to extend our support so that more business can keep their operations afloat and more people can become self-employed through deliveries.”

Well, isn’t that thoughtful? One might think Didi is just looking to gobble up more of the food delivery market in Mexico.

Food (delivery) fight

Note that in the Mexican cities of Toluca and Chihuahua, Didi may bump into one of its major competitors, Rappi.

And the pair are already competing against each other (and Uber Eats) in Mexico’s largest metropolis. And in its native Colombia, Rappi is also facing a battle against Brazilian iFood and its stake in Domicilios.com.

• Related article: Unicorn rumble for Colombian turf

Certainly, Covid-19 has food delivery startups scrambling to shift the power dynamics in the region. And while Rappi has had quite a big place on the Latam map up until now, Didi is coming in hard and aggressively.

It’s a lean and mean battle that’s worth watching unfold.

Related articles: Tech and startups from Mexico!

-ML