Cornershop expands to Canada and Peru, advances with recruitment

Contxto – Some may consider Cornershop to be a phoenix rising from the ashes. First, let’s backtrack. This past June, Mexican authorities rejected Walmart from acquiring the Chilean-Mexican grocery delivery venture for US$225 million. Nobody was sure if or how the startup would pivot.

Despite the uncertainty, the delivery app appears to be on a fast roll. Rejection didn’t stop Cornershop from launching services in Toronto, Canada this past June, for example. Following this, the startup recently landed in Lima, Peru, not to mention making progress with recruitment. 

Peruvian Expansion 

Based on this recent news, Cornershop now appears to be active in four countries, according to La Tercera. These include Chile and Mexico as well as the newest additions, Canada and Peru. 

Reports say that Peru already had a beta version of Cornershop prior to its official debut. Particularly, Lima’s close proximity to Chile, similar economic structure, as well as Cornershop staff being familiar with operating Peruvian online services, inspired the big move. 

Although Cornershop Peruvian following is still developing, founders Daniel Undurraga, Juan Pablo Cuevas and Oskar Hjertonsson are confident that the Incan country will yield positive results for the startup. The company allegedly plans to make a formal announcement on its blog to promote its new location.

Rappi and Glovo will be Cornershop’s main competitors in Peru. 

Candian Expansion 

Regarding Canada, expansion has been in the works since 2018. Everything was speculative until Cornershop published an Instagram story announcing, “Toronto we are here!” It also claimed the ability to bring deliveries in under an hour.

Moving forward, this new stomping ground will serve as a test-model before considering the possibility of launching operations in the United States. The company also says that the app is almost ready to be fully adapted in Canada with English translations. However, there are still some tweaks to be made.

Reports have indicated that the company also wants to enter Colombia and Brazil in the near future as part of its regional expansion scheme, according to principal investor All Venture Partners.  

Recruitment 

With a new country of operation also comes a fresh hiring spree for additional personnel. Over LinkedIn, Cornershop recently published several job ads ranging from a creative editor, operational manager, and account manager for its Peruvian operations. 

In Canada, there is also reportedly a team focusing on growing the business in Toronto and potentially elsewhere in the near future. 

While the Federal Economic Competition Commission of Mexico (Cofece) presented a roadblock, there’s no denying that this phoenix is still going places. Whether that’s a sustainable business model is another concern, but we’re certainly curious to see how this goes. 

-JA