Careem Now’s expansion strategy in Saudi Arabia has now taken the food delivery platform right into the holiest city in the region. Following a rather successful stint in Riyadh and Jeddah, Careem Now announced earlier in the week that it is launching services in Mecca, a city of nearly 1.5 million inhabitants.
Starting Jul 22, 2019, the company started listing more than 100 restaurants and outlets from across the holy city on its platform. These include popular franchises such as Pizza Hut, Maestro Pizza, McDonalds, Al Baik, and Baskin & Robbins, to name a few.
More Mecca-based outlets are expected to be added to the listings in the coming weeks.
Careem’s ride-hailing customers can download the stand-alone Careem Now app and log in using their existing Careem credentials. For added convenience, the Careem Now app has a smart “Reorder” feature that enables users to repeat their previous orders with just one click. They can track delivery schedule and route using the in-app interactive map.
Speaking on the occasion, Adeeb Warsi, Managing Director of Careem NOW, said: “The people of Mecca are now able to enjoy the same Careem NOW service that’s already available in Jeddah and Riyadh. Only 15 percent of the food delivery market in our region currently operates via an app, but Careem NOW is changing that and enabling people in Mecca to order from a wide range of restaurants easily, and with rapid door-to-door delivery.”
Worth noting here is that Careen Now is currently operational in several countries across GCC with a total user-count of around 33 million. If the company’s internal assessments are spot on, the food delivery market in its target countries could go all the way up to $25 billion by 2022.
