A Plymouth delivery firm is expanding from late-night alcohol drop-offs to bringing Sunday lunches, and now cakes too, to people鈥檚 homes 鈥 because the 拢8.1billion food delivery industry is going into overdrive.
Alcodrops was only launched in early 2019 but its dozen drivers are already making up to 20 deliveries of beers and spirits a night.
And with its booze licence only covering 6pm to 4am it linked with the Stoke Bar and Grill to supply up to 200 Sunday lunches to home diners around the Plymouth area.
That still left its drivers twiddling their thumbs during week days, so Alcodrops directors Kieran Andrews and Jo Fox began looking at other options.
They were approached by Georgie Rowe, of bakery Mrs Browns, who needed someone to deliver cakes around Plymouth.
She said the leading players 鈥 such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats 鈥 were working flat out to handle the huge growth in demand for home food deliveries and were more likely to prioritise major chains such as McDonald鈥檚.
So the smaller independent suppliers and deliverers make a good fit, and Mrs Browns and Alcodrops has even dreamed up a 鈥渨ine and cake鈥 Friday night offer.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got drivers and the website but hadn鈥檛 been utilising them during the day,鈥 he said.
Mr Andrews said that with the main delivery companies being 鈥渟aturated鈥 with orders the next step for his firm would be to sign deals with other independent food producers, such as chip shops and takeaways.
鈥淲e now deliver anywhere in Plymouth, on demand, through our website or people can call us,鈥 he said. 鈥淭he aim is to deliver anything a shop can sell. And we want to pick the best food establishments to work with.鈥
Mr Andrews, aged 24, founded his firm after having lived in London and seen the growth of alcohol home deliveries.
鈥淚 realised there was no alcohol delivery company here,鈥 he said. 鈥淭hat was strange considering there are a lot of students, Royal Marines and Royal Navy.鈥
Alcodrops now has premises in the city鈥檚 famous Union Street and deals with a wholesaler to access products. The company aims to ship items to a householder鈥檚 door within 30 minutes.
That is because its licence only allows alcohol drops in Plymouth, though its food deliveries extend slightly further.
But there is an ambition to expand geographically and Mr Andrews said: 鈥淲e are looking to cover Plymouth first and then other cities.
Alcohol in the news
鈥淎nd at the moment our drivers have their own vehicles, just like Deliveroo and Just Eat, but we would look to have branded vehicles.鈥
Ms Fox said the firm was surprised by the profile of its alcohol customers and added: 鈥淭ypically they are in their 20s and 30s. We thought it would be students, but it is not.鈥
The 海角视频's hunger for home delivered food
The food delivery industry is worth an astonishing 拢8.1billion in the 海角视频, according to the MCA Foodservice Delivery Report 2018.
That figure is up by 13.4% year-on-year, and contributed to 8% of the food service market.
And Britons' appetite for home delivered food shows no sign of diminishing, with 60% of 海角视频 adults already active delivery users who, on average, order food to their houses twice a month and spend 拢9.47 per head per order.
In total, this equals 851million meals ordered in 2018, with no signs of the demand slowing. MCA predictsthe market will be worth 拢9.8billion by 2021.
She said many are people who have ordered takeaway food deliveries, or are even hosting dinner parties, or have returned from a night out, and found there is no alcohol at home.
And the Sunday roast deliveries have surprised her too.
鈥淲e鈥檝e even delivered to a police station,鈥 she said.
Ms Rowe, who opened Mrs Browns in 2013 when she was just 17, said orders are flooding in for her cakes at such a rate mainstream delivery firms were unable to cope.
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She now delivers from the bakery鈥檚 base near the University of Plymouth to offices and other workplaces around the city, and even Plymouth鈥檚 Derriford Hospital, as the hunger for corporate lunches, meal deals, sandwiches, and salad boxes grows.
And she said that with the larger delivery firms restricted to mainly city centre clients, there is a need to use independents to service more remote destinations.
鈥淲e have people in places like Saltash,鈥 she said. 鈥淏ut ultimately, this is about two local firms working together, stick to local, is the message, it鈥檚 best.鈥
