Latest news with #PaulSudarsan
Calgary Herald
22-07-2025
- Business
- Calgary Herald
Skip to deliver from discount retailers Dollarama as it expands beyond food
Delivery app Skip has inked a partnership with Dollarama Inc. as it looks to expanding its offerings beyond food and into retail and other conveniences. Article content 'It's a natural fit, we're two homegrown Canadian organizations,' Paul Sudarsan, Skip senior vice-president for partnernships, said of the deal, which will allow Skip customers in all regions of the country in which it operates to order online from more than 1,300 Dollarama stores. Article content Article content Article content In addition to groceries, Skip users can order a wide variety of non-food products from home organization items to last-minute gifts. Article content Article content The Manitoba-based delivery app dropped 'The Dishes' from its name in October last year, going by 'Skip' now, as it expanded beyond restaurant delivery. Article content 'One of the main reasons that we dropped 'The Dishes' from our name was to showcase the market that we are the go-to destination for everyday convenience,' Sudarsan said. Article content The app has been offering deliveries from convenience stores and other retailers like pet store PetSmart. Article content The company, now owned by Dutch-based Just Eat Takeaway, got its start in the Prairies in 2012. Article content It has grown into a Canadian technology success story, serving millions of Canadians in over 450 cities and towns with more than 50,000 local restaurant, grocery, convenience and retail partners. Article content Article content 'We have customers that have different needs throughout the week, whether that is getting your favourite pizza or sushi from your favourite restaurant … or you might need pet food,' Sudarsan said. 'But you also may need a number of those everyday essentials … that's what we're launching.' Article content
Cision Canada
21-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Skip and Dollarama Partner to Deliver Unmatched Convenience and Value to Canadians Français
Essentials, surprises and everything in between: Canadians can now uncover the best of Dollarama on Skip, because the real fun is in the find TORONTO, July 21, 2025 /CNW/ - Skip, Canada's homegrown delivery network, and Dollarama are coming together to highlight what value and convenience truly mean to consumers across the country, amid growing economic pressures. Starting today, Canadians can shop Dollarama's wide selection of affordable essentials and unexpected treasures, from everyday goods to seasonal must-haves and pantry staples, all delivered straight to your doorstop. This partnership brings together two iconic Canadian brands with Dollarama's unbeatable product offering and Skip's fast, reliable delivery, making everyday convenience more accessible than ever. Just in time for peak Canadian summer, the thrill of uncovering unexpected Dollarama gems is now more convenient than ever. From backyard barbecues and birthday parties, baby showers and camp prep, to the early back-to-school scrambles, the two beloved Canadian brands are joining forces to make scoring a deal easier and more exciting than ever. Together, they're bringing Canadians fast, budget-friendly access to a wide range of must haves, wherever and whenever they need them. "Finding the sweet spot between convenience and value isn't always easy, and it's often a daily challenge for Canadians," says Paul Sudarsan, SVP, Partnerships at Skip. "By bringing Dollarama to Skip, we're eliminating that compromise. This partnership strengthens Skip's role as the go-to destination for convenience and value, helping Canadians get what they need, when they need it." This launch is a major milestone for both brands, expanding Skip's retail footprint with over 1,300 Dollarama locations now live on the network across all provinces and territories where Skip operates. The coming together of Skip and Dollarama also underscores the shared mission of both companies: to deliver trusted, affordable convenience to Canadians. With Dollarama's unmatched product variety, Skip customers now have on-demand access to everything from home organization items to last-minute gifts, home goods and more! This partnership marks another exciting milestone in Skip's ongoing retail expansion, with more national retail partnerships slated to launch throughout the summer, fall and beyond. About Skip Skip is Canada's homegrown delivery network. What started in 2012 as a local start-up in the Prairies has grown into a Canadian technology success story, connecting millions of Canadians in over 450 cities and towns with more than 50,000 local restaurant, grocery, convenience and retail partners. With a vision to empower everyday convenience, Skip helps Canadians get what they need, when they need it – so they can Skip to the Good Part of their day. As a subsidiary of Just Eat one of the world's leading on-demand delivery companies, Skip combines local expertise with global scale to provide fast, reliable service when it matters most.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
PetSmart joins Skip for on-demand delivery in Canada
US-based omni-channel pet retailer PetSmart has partnered convenient delivery services provider Skip to enable Canadians order more than 15,000 pet products directly. The PetSmart products on demand range from premium food and litter to toys and accessories. This collaboration is described as expanding Skip's services to everyday retail, 'building on last year's brand relaunch, dropping TheDishes, and reinforcing its role as the country's go-to destination for daily convenience'. Skip Retail and new verticals vice-president Paul Sudarsan stated: 'Partnering with PetSmart is a big move in Skip's mission to become Canadians' go-to destination for everyday convenience. 'We're creating a retail experience where getting what you need, whether it's dinner, groceries or dog food, is fast, easy and hassle-free. Now Canadians can sit and stay, while Skip handles the fetching.' To commemorate the partnership launch, Skip is introducing a promotional event in Toronto. A promotional truck will debut at Lakeshore Boulevard Parklands on 14 June 2025, and from then until to 31 July, Canadians can get a $20 discount on their first PetSmart order of $50 or more via Skip. Skip is expected to announce further retail collaborations. Skip facilitates a network that links millions of consumers across more than 450 municipalities in Canada with 50,000 partners such as local eateries, grocery stores, convenience shops and other retail establishments. In May 2023, PetSmart collaborated with grocery technology company Instacart, expanding its same-day delivery partnership. The company partnered with Grubhub for pet supply delivery in the US in October 2024. "PetSmart joins Skip for on-demand delivery in Canada" was originally created and published by Retail Insight Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Cision Canada
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Cision Canada
SKIP PARTNERS WITH PETSMART TO LAUNCH ON-DEMAND DELIVERY NATIONWIDE
This partnership marks a significant step in Skip's evolution into everyday retail, building on last year's brand relaunch, dropping TheDishes, and reinforcing its role as the country's go-to destination for daily convenience. By offering PetSmart products on demand, Skip expands its range of essentials while deepening its commitment to making life more convenient for Canadians. Reinforcing the network's growing selection, Skip's latest ad spot features Jon Hamm wandering through a store, jokingly telling another shopper he "shoulda skipped it" after seeing him struggle with a large bag of pet food, a humorous nod to Skip's convenience. "Partnering with PetSmart is a big move in Skip's mission to become Canadians' go-to destination for everyday convenience," says Paul Sudarsan, VP of Retail and New Verticals at Skip. "We're creating a retail experience where getting what you need, whether it's dinner, groceries, or dog food, is fast, easy, and hassle-free. Now Canadians can sit and stay, while Skip handles the fetching." Customers across the country can now order PetSmart products directly through the app or on To celebrate the launch, Skip will be rolling out a bright orange mobile pet inspired truck for a two-day city-wide tour of Toronto. Pet owners and their furry friends will be invited to visit the 'good boi' on wheels to snag Skip x PetSmart co-branded pet essentials from toys to treats and everything in between, as well as exclusive promo codes. Skip+ members who visit the puppy-themed truck plus anyone who signs up on the spot will be entered to win Skip and PetSmart gift cards and a private photoshoot for their pet!* The truck will make its first appearance at Lakeshore Boulevard Parklands in Toronto on June 14 at 10 a.m. (1389 Lake Shore Blvd W). Follow Skip on social @skip_canada for updates about the truck's whereabouts throughout the city on June 14 and 15. And it gets even better: from June 14 - July 31, Canadians can fetch $20 off orders of $50 or more when placing their first PetSmart order on Skip using the code PET20.** Skip's partnership with PetSmart is just the beginning, with more retail partnerships to be announced this summer and fall. About Skip Skip is Canada's homegrown delivery network. What started in 2012 as a local start-up in the Prairies has grown into a Canadian technology success story, connecting millions of Canadians in over 450 cities and towns with more than 50,000 local restaurant, grocery, convenience and retail partners. With a vision to empower everyday convenience, Skip helps Canadians get what they need, when they need it – so they can Skip to the Good Part of their day. As a subsidiary of Just Eat one of the world's leading on-demand delivery companies, Skip combines local expertise with global scale to provide fast, reliable service when it matters most. To learn more, visit *The named Sweepstakes (the " Skip x PetSmart Activation Sweepstakes") is sponsored by SkipTheDishes Restaurant Services Inc. No purchase necessary. There is a limit of one (1) entry per person per day. This Sweepstakes is in no way conducted, sponsored, endorsed, administered by or associated with PetSmart or any social media service on which it may be promoted, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat. By entering this Sweepstakes, you completely release PetSmart, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snap Inc. (solely if and to the extent that this Sweepstakes is promoted on such platforms) from all claims based on, relating to, or arising from this Sweepstakes and any other liability whatsoever in connection with this Sweepstakes. **Offer valid on June 14. Min spend $50 required. Available at participating PetSmart locations on Skip. While supplies last. Taxes and fees still apply. Only on Skip. May not be combined with other offers, discounts, or promotions.
Toronto Star
29-05-2025
- Business
- Toronto Star
Skip the human? Food delivery service test drives robots in downtown Markham
The food delivery service Skip is now using a small fleet of cooler-sized, orange robots to make deliveries, as part of a three-month pilot project in Markham. The four robots have locked, insulated compartments that can hold up to 50 kilogram, with cameras inside that can detect a spill. On the Skip app, customers within a two-kilometre radius in downtown Markham can choose to have a robot make their delivery. The customer inputs their order number, the box opens, they take their food, and the robot wheels away. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW The food delivery service Skip is now using a small fleet of cooler-sized, orange robots to make deliveries, as part of a three-month pilot project in Markham. Skip, the app formerly branded as Skip the Dishes, is the latest North American delivery service to try out robots on sidewalks as a way of making shorter runs in congested urban centres quicker and more efficient than cars or bike couriers. 'Driving 20 minutes in downtown Toronto or downtown Markham, you know, that maybe means 10 feet, 50 feet,' Paul Sudarsan, Skip's VP of retail and new verticals, said in an interview on Wednesday. But the technology has been controversial, especially in Toronto. In 2021, a similar robot delivery project by Tiny Mile fizzled, after the city banned robots, or 'automated micro-utility devices,' on sidewalks and bike lanes over fears that they'd become a hazard to pedestrians with vision loss or mobility issues. The Skip test run is using human 'robot guides' who follow closely behind, keeping tabs on how the robots interact with the people they encounter on the sidewalk. A human pilot is also on hand, at an undisclosed overseas facility, to take remote control of the robot when they encounter an obstacle. 'They yield to pedestrians. They yield to wheelchairs. They yield to to strollers,' Sudarsan said. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Asked whether the robots could potentially replace human couriers, he said they're only meant to compliment Skip's other delivery methods. 'Couriers will always be integral to our business,' he said. Skip's robot operations are run by Real Life Robotics, a firm based out of a startup incubator at the University of Waterloo. The company operates Skip's robot mission control out of a third-floor office in downtown Markham. Each night, after the robots end their shift at 9 p.m., a staff member comes down to meet them. RealLife Robotics CEO Cameron Waite, left, and head of growth Sharif Virani. 'This is very, very real,' Waite says of the bots being tested in Markham. 'The technology itself is mature. It's been tested. It's been vetted.' Steve Russell/ Toronto Star The robots enter 'follow me' mode and line up behind the human, like ducklings behind their mother, and together they walk into the lobby, up the elevator and into mission control for recharging and sterilization. On Tuesday, Real Life Robotics CEO Cameron Waite wanted to demonstrate how the whole thing worked. He opened the Skip app on his phone and ordered two croissants from a bakery across the street. Within a few minutes, on a large screen at the centre of the mission control room, Robot 4F140, who goes by Maple when interacting with the public, was assigned the order. At its home base, parked in a courtyard outside a bubble tea cafe, Robot 4F140 turned on and started rolling toward the bakery about a block away. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 'Now we're driving,' Waite said, watching a map on the screen as a little green icon representing 4F140 started moving. Waite started moving around to different windows in mission control, trying to spot 4F140 and its guide on the street below. 'It'll come out,' Waite said. 'He might take a left.' The robot crosses the street, which at this point in the trial is being done with assistance from a human pilot overseas (the company wouldn't say where the pilots are located.) But the robots have sensors to detect when a light turns green and it's safe to cross. The Skip app allows customers within a two-kilometre radius of downtown Markham to choose a robot for their delivery. Steve Russell/ Toronto Star 'This is very, very real. It's very capable,' Waite said, watching as the robot parked outside the bakery and waited for its guide to go in and collect the croissants. 'Now it's more about commercializing these operations. The technology itself is mature. It's been tested. It's been vetted.' Like other robots used for commercial deliveries, the orange Skip robots have human features. A digital screen on the front makes it look like they have eyes, which is meant to make locals accept the robots as a 'member of the community,' said Sharif Virani, head of growth at Real Life Robotics. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW If the machines are seen to have human qualities, they're less likely to be vandalized or stolen, he said. E-scooters, on the other hand, don't have human features and frequently have people 'throwing them around.' 'They didn't see it as part of the community,' Virani said. A few minutes later, Robot 4F140 arrived outside the office tower. Virani and Waite went down to meet it. They scanned the QR code on the robot, and a form popped up on the phone so they could type in the order number. After that, the lid opened and Virani took the croissants. As the robot headed back to its home base, at about five km/h, it came up to an older man and slowly swerved around him. The man smiled. 'That's what happens when you have that face,' Virani said, watching the robot and the man. 'If you didn't have a face there, there's nothing to smile at.' But shortly after the robot returned to its spot in courtyard, a middle-aged couple had a different reaction. 'We are too old to accept that,' said the woman. 'This robot's on the street?' her husband asked, shaking his head. 'Unbelievable.'
