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Al Etihad
12 hours ago
- Business
- Al Etihad
Eid Al-Adha in UAE: Ordering sacrificial meat via apps gains popularity as retailers partner with abattoirs, government
4 June 2025 00:17 SARA ALZAABI AND TAARIQ HALIM (ABU DHABI)These days, technology takes the crowds and the risk out of Al Udhiya — the traditional slaughter of sheep, goats, oxen, and camels during Eid for sacrificial meat can be placed via butchery apps or even grocery apps. The slaughter is performed at accredited abattoirs in the UAE, and the meat is packaged and delivered to your Al-Adha, or the Festival of Sacrifice, commences on 10th of Dhul-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar, or June 6 in the Gregorian calendar this year. Al Udhiya is a commemoration of Prophet Ibrahim's test of faith, where God asked him to sacrifice his son Ismail. Ibrahim passed the test and God replaced Ismail with a meat from the sacrifice is distributed among family members and a third of it goes to the the past, UAE residents would visit authorised slaughterhouses to get their sacrificial meat for Eid Al Adha; but online platforms have made the process much easier. Ordering by Apps For a second year, retail apps noon Minutes and Careem have launched Al Udhiya services, giving users a chance to order their animals using their smartphones. Prices range from Dh1,000 for a Somali goat to Dh7,000 for a 150kg Minutes has again partnered with meat distribution app Zabehaty, and orders for 2025 have already doubled from their launch year in Minutes spokesperson Saro Djerrahian, GM Commercial, explains: 'Sacrifices are performed by our trusted partner Zabehaty after Eid prayers, in line with Islamic principles and hygiene standards. Fresh meat is delivered to your door, with live updates every step of the way.'We brought the service back — and made it bigger — because demand has been so strong. Orders are already up 50% vs last year, with more expected as Eid gets said stringent measures are in place to ensure hygiene and cultural standards are maintained.'This is an important service for us, and we take every detail seriously. Sacrifices are carried out by certified experts at licensed facilities, fully Sharia-compliant and professionally managed. Customers will get confirmation and contact info for total peace of mind.'Careem Groceries, in partnership with Dhabayeh Al Emarat, offers local and imported options. According to their catalogue, a 14–17kg local goat aged 12 to 24 months costs Dh1,723, while a 7–9-month-old Naimi sheep (16–20 kg) is priced Dh2, can opt to have their meat delivered at home, or donate it directly to the UAE Food Bank. DMT Preparations The Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT) in Abu Dhabi has finalised all the slaughterhouses' preparations for Sharia-compliant public services this services include dedicated pre-slaughter veterinary inspection offices and cutting, wrapping, and vacuum-sealing applications also provide the option of easy home the app, residents can choose the type of meat, the time of the sacrifice, and the nearest basic service pillars — veterinary inspection; halal, religious slaughter; and hygiene — will be adhered to. Aletihad spoke with Ali Shujaa, Executive Director of the Zabehaty smart app, about how the app has transformed Al Udhiya. 'The app was initially designed to facilitate general public access and alleviate congestion at slaughterhouses, including the elderly and people of determination.'He described how the process works: 'Carcasses are selected by a specialised team from the municipality, examined by veterinarians, and then transported to municipal slaughterhouses. They are slaughtered, cut up, packaged and prepared, then transported in special refrigerated vehicles to the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), where they are distributed across all emirates and locations.'The services are supervised by the municipality, including the municipal slaughterhouses in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Al Dhafra, and Sharjah. Municipal oversight is mandatory, so the procedures are clear and regulated.'Shujaa also highlighted the app's gifting and donation services: 'We work with organisations like the Emirates Red Crescent, and others.'On the use of technology, he noted: 'The application itself uses artificial intelligence to respond to customers, and the cutting and packaging equipment is electric.'Khaled Almessabi, Manager of the Halal Mazrana app, said the platform ensures the freshness of the meat and allows the customers to manage the delivery.'Slaughtering takes place immediately after the Eid prayer, at municipality-approved slaughterhouses. The customer can also select from various farm and livestock owners based on their prices and delivery times.'All sacrifices are handled by the approved slaughterhouses, in line with the procedures adopted at the slaughterhouse itself, with the presence of a veterinarian.'The app is integrated with Abu Dhabi and Al Ain municipalities for seamless service delivery. ADAFSA Awareness Campaign The Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority is intensifying its efforts to raise public awareness about the importance of slaughtering livestock in licensed campaign aims to curb random slaughter practices and dealings with unlicensed butchers, reinforcing biosecurity measures and public health standards to prevent zoonotic diseases that can spread between humans and emphasises that slaughtering in regulated abattoirs plays a vital role in ensuring public health. Abattoirs across Abu Dhabi offer controlled environments that minimise contamination risks, ensuring that carcasses are processed in clean and hygienic conditions and preventing inspections before and after slaughter guarantee the safety of meat for human consumption. Qualified and legally licensed butchers oversee the process, while waste management protocols ensure the safe disposal of slaughtering by-products, aligning with biosecurity also ensures that Islamic slaughtering guidelines — including proper positioning, recitation, precise cutting techniques for efficient bleeding, and full exsanguination — are adhered to, as poor bleeding due to fever or improper cutting can compromise meat quality. ADAFSA's campaign encourages residents to utilise Abu Dhabi's modern abattoirs, which adhere to high safety and hygiene standards, ensuring that slaughtered meat is safe for consumption.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Quick commerce now accounts for 20% of ecommerce sector in India: Walmart International CEO
Quick commerce now accounts for 20% of India's ecommerce market and is growing at a rate of 50% annually, according to Kathryn McLay , CEO of Walmart International . 'That's a part of ecommerce that we want to be playing in,' she said at the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference, reaffirming Walmart's growing focus on the segment through its Indian arm Flipkart . Amid this push, Flipkart's Indian marketplace entity has received a cash infusion of Rs 2,225 crore (around $260 million) from its Singapore-based parent, according to regulatory filings. The funds come as Flipkart accelerates investments into Minutes, its quick commerce vertical, which is targeting 800 dark stores by the end of 2025. Earlier this month, Flipkart Minutes vice president Kabeer Biswas told ET that the company had already reached the halfway mark on that rollout. Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. McLay also stated that Walmart was not prioritising near-term profitability for its India ecommerce businesses — Flipkart and fashion platform Myntra — over market share and growth. Close on the heels of expanding services to Singapore, Myntra received a cash infusion of Rs 1,062.5 crore ($124 million) from its parent entity. 'We're excited about their growth. We are not so focused on profitability that we would trade off market share and growth for the future,' she said. 'You take the balance of all of that, and we will get there at the right time.' Live Events She added that while Flipkart's path to profitability may not be linear, Walmart has achieved success with similar models in other markets — not just at the broader business level, but within individual channels like quick commerce. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Walmart had led a $1 billion funding round in Flipkart in 2023, committing $600 million to the round. Despite rapid growth, quick commerce continues to form a modest portion of India's overall retail sector. As ET reported on May 19, six of the country's top fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) firms — Hindustan Unilever, Britannia, AWL Agri Business (formerly Adani Wilmar), Dabur, Tata Consumer Products, and Marico — reported a combined Rs 4,400 crore in quick commerce sales for FY25, accounting for just 2–4% of their overall revenues . A recent report by HSBC Securities projects the gross order value of India's quick commerce market to touch $35–40 billion by FY26. Flipkart faces stiff competition in the space from the likes of Blinkit (owned by Eternal), Swiggy 's Instamart, Zepto, Amazon, BigBasket (backed by Tata Digital), and Reliance's JioMart. Domicile shift, IPO roadmap, financials Flipkart is also in the process of shifting its domicile from Singapore to India — a move that group CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy called a 'significant step toward aligning more closely with the economic and regulatory landscape' during a recent townhall. The reverse flip comes ahead of a planned initial public offering in 2026. For FY24, Flipkart Internet reported operating revenue of Rs 17,907.3 crore, a 21% year-on-year increase, while its net loss narrowed by 41% to Rs 2,358 crore. Its fashion vertical Myntra turned profitable for the first time in FY24, posting a net profit of Rs 31 crore compared to a loss of Rs 782 crore in the previous year. Myntra's revenue rose 15% during the fiscal. The platform is also extending its reach beyond India. While facing fresh competition in the local market following Shein's re-entry via a Reliance tie-up, Myntra is expanding to Singapore through Myntra Global. It has also launched M-Now, a rapid delivery service for fashion and home goods.
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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Flipkart CEO Krishnamurthy signals strong growth amid India IPO plans
Flipkart Group Chief Executive Kalyan Krishnamurthy on Monday said the firm was advancing preparations for a potential initial public offering (IPO) in India, which included shifting its holding company to India from Singapore. Speaking at an internal town hall, Krishnamurthy said the company's leadership structure is strengthening and that the steps toward relocating Flipkart's legal base to India are progressing as planned, according to people familiar with the matter. Flipkart is targeting a public listing as early as next year, with a potential valuation of between $60 billion and $70 billion, these people said. If successful, the listing would be the largest consumer technology IPO in India's history. 'As we've initiated the flip back of the company, I am very confident that all of us will continue to focus on profitability with a renewed emphasis on customer centricity,' he said. 'This move brings Flipkart even closer to where our heart has always been,' he said. The company is currently recording customer and order growth in the range of 20 per cent to 25 per cent, with monthly order volumes averaging around 130 million, the people said. 'We're witnessing a strong uptick in customer growth and orders, which is around 20–25 per cent currently, with a focus on improved efficiency, and we are on track to achieve 30 per cent by June this year,' said Krishnamurthy at Flipkart's internal 'Flipster Connect' event on Monday. Flipkart, last valued at around $36 billion, has in recent months taken steps to strengthen its board and streamline internal operations as part of its broader preparation for going public. India's e-commerce market, projected to reach $325 billion by 2030 with an annual growth rate of 21 per cent, is becoming an increasingly competitive arena. Flipkart faces intensifying rivalry from Amazon, Meesho, Reliance's JioMart, and the Tata Group, who are aggressively expanding and innovating to capture market share. At the event, Flipkart CEO Krishnamurthy, along with senior executives including Seema Nair, senior vice president and chief human resources officer; Hemant Badri, senior vice president and head of supply chain; and Ramesh Gururaja, senior vice president for consumer shopping experience, outlined the company's strategic progress. The leadership team emphasised momentum in talent acquisition, leadership development, business expansion, and a continued focus on innovation and customer engagement. Krishnamurthy said Flipkart remains a market leader across categories and customer segments, with growth driven by both core businesses and newer initiatives. The company's quick commerce service, Minutes, is performing well, and Flipkart is aiming to expand its dark store network to 800 locations by the end of the year. Krishnamurthy added that innovation is gaining renewed momentum across the platform, with strategic focus areas including customer experience, Shopsy-- its value-focused platform-- travel services, and engagement with Gen Z consumers. Flipkart's fintech arm, is also on a strong growth trajectory, following a series of recent product launches and continued investment in digital financial services. 'We've recently seen some industry veterans across technology, categories, and Adtech join us as we work towards the aggressive goals we've set for ourselves,' he said. During the session, Seema Nair, chief human resources officer at Flipkart Group, highlighted the company's deepening leadership pipeline, noting an expanding group of next-generation executives stepping into strategic roles across emerging areas of e-commerce. She emphasised Flipkart's focus on workforce development, pointing to ongoing investments in training and upskilling to help teams capitalise on the sector's growth. Nair also said the company plans to integrate artificial intelligence more broadly across the organisation, with a focus on equipping employees with advanced AI tools to enhance productivity and innovation. 'With a resilient, collaborative, and future-focused team, we're better positioned than ever to lead the evolution of India's digital retail ecosystem,' Nair said, adding, 'We are proud to consistently drive the culture of entrepreneurship that we have been known for.'
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Business Standard
26-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Domicile shift key to aligning with India's economy, rules: Flipkart CEO
Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy addressed employees at an internal event, 'Flipster Connect', on Monday (May 26), highlighting the company's strong growth and readiness for the future. He called the decision to shift Flipkart's legal base back to India a key move in aligning with the country's economic and regulatory environment. During the session, Krishnamurthy said that Flipkart has increased its investment in artificial intelligence six-fold this year. He also confirmed that the process to return the company's legal domicile to India had begun. He assured employees that Flipkart would continue prioritising profitability while maintaining a strong focus on customer needs. Commenting on Flipkart's plans to go public, Krishnamurthy said much groundwork had already been done in the last year to prepare for the IPO. 'A lot of work which has already happened over the past 12 months is aligned with this intention,' he said, adding that the company would continue building on that effort. Leadership and strategic growth Krishnamurthy was joined by other senior leaders, including Seema Nair (Senior Vice President and CHRO), Hemant Badri (Senior Vice President and Head of Supply Chain), and Ramesh Gururaja (Senior Vice President, Consumer Shopping Experience). Together, they shared insights into Flipkart's strategy, which includes growth in talent, leadership, innovation, and customer engagement. Krishnamurthy said Flipkart is currently seeing a 20–25 per cent increase in customers and orders, and is aiming for 30 per cent growth by June, according to a PTI report quoting sources. He also added: 'Within the organisation, we remain focused on being future-ready, with a 6X increase in investment in AI this year. We continue to be the market driver across all categories and customer segments. 'Minutes' is doing very well, and we're targeting 800 dark stores by the end of this year.' Innovation across key areas Flipkart's quick commerce service, 'Minutes', is showing promising results. The company is also seeing renewed innovation in areas such as travel, Shopsy, and services for Gen Z users. Krishnamurthy further noted: ' has also been on a high growth trajectory, with several recent successful launches and strong product innovation. We've recently seen some industry veterans across technology, categories, and Adtech join us as we work towards the aggressive goals we've set for ourselves.' Speaking on the decision to relocate Flipkart's legal base to India, he said: 'As we've initiated the flip back of the company, I am very confident that all of us will continue to focus on profitability with a renewed emphasis on customer centricity. This move brings Flipkart even closer to where our heart has always been.' Focus on leadership and AI-driven teams Seema Nair, Flipkart Group CHRO, spoke about the company's strong and evolving leadership. She highlighted that a new generation of leaders is taking on key responsibilities in emerging e-commerce areas. She said Flipkart is working on building capable teams through training and skill development to meet the demands of the industry. Nair added that artificial intelligence will be a key enabler for the organisation, and all employees will have access to the best AI tools. She concluded that Flipkart, with its collaborative and forward-thinking team, is well-positioned to lead the digital retail transformation in India.
Mint
23-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Flipkart on track to open 800 dark stores by December as quick commerce booms
Bengaluru/Delhi: Flipkart Minutes, the quick commerce arm of the Walmart-backed e-commerce giant Flipkart, is experiencing a surge in demand, with order volumes doubling nearly every 45 days. This rapid growth is fuelling optimism for the service's ambitious expansion plans, which aim to increase its network of dark stores to 800 by the end of 2025, doubling from the current 400, the company's top executives told Mint. Also Read | As Kabeer Biswas jumps to Flipkart, no resolution yet in sight for Dunzo Currently operating in 17 cities across India, Flipkart Minutes is focusing on deepening its reach within its top-performing urban centres by extending its service to more pin codes. The firm—which entered quick commerce much later than its peers—will continue expanding aggressively to catch up with its rivals and grab a share of the growing market. Also Read | Quick medicine delivery: Startups gear up against giants Flipkart and Swiggy 'We'll go where the customer is. We have built everything from the sustainability perspective and we are very committed to [delivering in] 10 minutes as well," Kanchan Mishra, vice-president at Flipkart, said in an interview. Minutes has helped improve Flipkart's overall customer retention with a larger number of people now transacting on the platform more frequently. 'What we have seen is quick commerce has enabled us to grow our pie in certain categories. We are able to bring customers back more often, and we are able to make our customers buy a much wider set of products from the platform. So it's been adding to the retention of our customer base, adding to the spend per customer on the platform and adding to the transaction per customer on the platform." According to Mishra, nearly 40% of Flipkart Minutes' users make a repeat purchase every two weeks. Flipkart launched Minutes in August 2024 in select pockets of Bengaluru, much after its competitors Swiggy Instamart, Zomato-owned Blinkit, and Zepto. Entering late in the game, Flipkart had lots to catch up on—right from setting up dark stores to matching delivery speed. Quick commerce is projected to grow at over 40% annually through 2030, driven by expansion across categories, geographies, and customer segments, per a report by Bain & Co. While quick commerce began with grocery, 15–20% of its gross merchandise value now comes from categories such as general merchandise, mobile phones, electronics, and apparel. Over two-thirds of all e-grocery orders and a tenth of overall e-retail dollars are being spent on these platforms. To be sure, India's e-retail market touched $60 billion in 2024, per March 2025 estimates by Bain & Co. Meanwhile, quick-commerce gross merchandise value touched $6-7 billion in 2024, with over 20 million annual active shoppers. 'The need for speed for our customers is very evident. We have seen that quick commerce has helped bring in customers more often and enable them to buy a much wider set of products from the platform. It has been adding to the retention and spends per customer," Mishra said. 'Quick commerce is all about building on strengths. Building the hyperlocal and daily essentials business are the two the key things to focus on. And this is an extremely execution-heavy business," said Kabeer Biswas, the newly-appointed head of Flipkart Minutes. Daily essentials account for 90% of Minutes' transactions, while large-ticket items like electronics and beauty and personal care products dominate in terms of order values, Mishra said. Flipkart's quick commerce arm has also benefited from hyperlocal logistics that is now available in commoditized form in India, helping it move ahead despite making a late start compared to its quick commerce peers, Mishra added. 'With hyperlocal density, yes we have had a late start, but given that it is almost commoditized across the country, we have been able to build decent capacity," Mishra said. 'What we see has been playing is the strength of the platform that powers us. We have seen very strong synergies coming in from our shared supply chain and logistics network, where we share warehouses and the logistics network that powers Flipkart. We have seen very strong early adoption coming in from customers as well," Mishra noted. Quick commerce—characterized by high cash burn and unsustainable unit economics—typically requires consistent investment. While Flipkart will continue to infuse capital to expand the service, it doesn't seem to be much bothered about cash burn. 'What plays favourably for us is we have a massive base of customers already available to us that makes our cost of customer acquisition very, very efficient. We already have 75% of the supply chain investments deployed from the larger Flipkart business. That makes our journey to increasing our footprint a lot easier on the cost front. We also have a rich technology platform that's built and operating at scale, which makes go-to-market for us easier," Mishra added. Naturally, competition in quick commerce is heating up, prompting companies to bulk up investments in expanding dark stores and hiring more personnel to keep delivery timelines short. In the third quarter of FY25, Zomato said it will continue to accelerate Blinkit's expansion, burning cash to reach 2,000 dark stores a year ahead of target even as the quick-commerce business pulled down its profit. Net profit of Zomato (rebranded as Eternal) saw a sharp decline of 78% year-on-year (y-o-y) in January-March quarter to ₹39 crore, largely on account of the accelerated investments in its quick-commerce business Blinkit. Swiggy's net loss widened to ₹1,081 crore from ₹555 crore a year ago. Established companies such as Zepto, Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart are already sitting on thousands of dark stores. Blinkit crossed the 1,000 dark store milestone early this year. Rival Swiggy added over 300 dark stores for Instamart, its quick commerce service, taking its store count up to 1,021.
