Latest news with #TomasoRodriguez
Gulf Business
14-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Here's how customers can benefit from talabat and Bolt's new partnership
Image: Supplied Talabat, the region's leading delivery platform, and global mobility company Bolt have partnered to bring added convenience and savings to UAE users. The collaboration offers talabat pro subscribers exclusive discounts on Bolt rides, combining two of the most widely used apps in the daily routines of residents across the UAE. For users, the result is simple: fewer apps, more savings, and a more connected lifestyle. Whether ordering a favourite meal or booking a ride, convenience is now just a tap away. How talabat customers will benefit Under the initiative, talabat pro members will receive 10 per cent off 10 Bolt rides each month, with a maximum discount of Dhs15 per ride. The new benefit is designed to extend the value of talabat's loyalty programme — already known for its perks such as free delivery on restaurants, groceries, and DineOut — into the realm of everyday transportation. 'At talabat, we believe in aligning ourselves with companies that not only drive meaningful impact but also actively support the communities we serve,' said Tomaso Rodriguez, CEO of talabat. 'This partnership with Bolt is just the start of enhanced benefits for our loyal talabat pro customers and a step towards exploring synergies that deliver greater value, innovation, and experiences.' Mansoor Alfalasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi Company and local partner of Bolt, echoed the sentiment, saying: 'By partnering with talabat, a platform already woven into people's daily routines, we're meeting users where they are — whether they're ordering dinner, groceries, or heading out for the evening. 'This partnership allows us to offer even more value, making everyday mobility more accessible while supporting Dubai's vision for smarter, more connected urban living.' A strong quarter This development follows news of talabat's robust Q1 performance. 'The completed acquisition of 'Looking ahead to the reminder 2025, we remain focused on building on this progress and realising meaningful synergies and efficiencies from the instashop acquisition. As integration activities progress over the next few quarters, we're set up to deliver even greater value and convenience to our customers, partners, riders and shareholders.'
Zawya
14-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Talabat and Bolt join forces to bring everyday savings and smarter mobility to UAE customers
Dubai, United Arab Emirates: talabat, the leading on-demand delivery platform in the MENA region, and Bolt, the global shared mobility leader, have entered into a strategic partnership aimed at enhancing everyday convenience and value for customers in the UAE. Through this collaboration, talabat pro subscribers will enjoy exclusive discounts on Bolt rides, reinforcing both brands' shared commitment to delivering seamless and integrated lifestyle experiences. talabat pro, talabat's loyalty program, is designed to enrich the customer experience with the best talabat has to offer, from free delivery on a wide variety of restaurants and shops, to exclusive deals on food, grocery and DineOut. With this new partnership, subscribers can now enjoy 10% off 10 Bolt rides, capped at AED 15 per ride - providing more accessible and affordable mobility solutions beyond food and grocery delivery. The initiative brings together two trusted daily-use platforms to deliver greater convenience - all within the apps customers already rely on. Tomaso Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer at talabat, said 'At talabat, we believe in aligning ourselves with companies that not only drive meaningful impact but also actively support the communities we serve. This partnership with Bolt is just the start of enhanced benefits for our loyal talabat pro customers and a step towards exploring synergies that deliver greater value, innovation, and experiences.' Mansoor Alfalasi, CEO, Dubai Taxi Company said, 'At Bolt, we focus on making every ride simple, reliable, and affordable — from our transparent pricing and smooth app experience to real-time tracking and flexible ride options that fit every lifestyle. By partnering with talabat, a platform already woven into people's daily routines, we're meeting users where they are — whether they're ordering dinner, groceries, or heading out for the evening. This partnership allows us to offer even more value, making everyday mobility more accessible while supporting Dubai's vision for smarter, more connected urban living.' By leveraging the strength of both transport and delivery, both brands support a vision of integrated, convenient, and sustainable urban living that puts the user at the center, aligning with Dubai's 2040 Urban Master Plan to make Dubai the best city to live in. Bolt's ride-hailing services complement talabat's lifestyle ecosystem, offering users greater control and convenience in how they move, shop, and live - all through trusted easy-to-use digital platforms. Together, both brands are paving the way for a more connected, convenient, and rewarding lifestyle; one that is thoughtfully designed around the evolving needs of today's urban consumer. About talabat: talabat is the leading on-demand delivery platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, offering customers a convenient and personalized way to order food, groceries, and other convenience products from a wide selection of restaurants and retailers. Founded in Kuwait in 2004, talabat has expanded its operations to the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt, serving over six and a half million active customers as of December 2024. talabat is headquartered in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates and in December 2024, successfully completed its initial public offering on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM). As a subsidiary of Delivery Hero SE, talabat leverages global expertise to strengthen its market position and drive innovation in the on-demand delivery sector, focusing on expanding its product offerings and increasing market penetration across its operating regions. With a robust network of over thousands of partners and riders, talabat continues to solidify its leadership in the MENA region's on-demand delivery market, connecting customers, partners, and riders through its advanced technology platform. About Bolt: Bolt as DTC's partner in Dubai has operations in over 50 countries and 600 cities and provides shared mobility services including ride-hailing, scooter and e-bike rental and car rental to over 200 million lifetime customers. More than 4.5 million drivers use the Bolt platform around the world. The company seeks to accelerate the transition from owned cars to shared mobility, offering better alternatives for every use case. The company's products include ride-hailing, scooter and car rental services, food and grocery delivery and corporate mobility services. Media Enquiries: media@
Arabian Business
14-05-2025
- Business
- Arabian Business
EXCLUSIVE: talabat, Bolt announce ride services for ‘pro' Dubai customers in major partnership
Online food delivery giant talabat and Bolt have announced a new partnership. The partnership will integrate Bolt's ride-hailing services into the talabat Pro subscription programme. The agreement was unveiled during a joint press event in Dubai. talabat 'pro' customers to get 10% on Bolt rides The collaboration will give talabat 'pro' subscribers a 10 per cent discount on all Bolt rides via a seamless integration in the talabat app. The new feature was launched in order to build on talabat's subscription model to transform it more into a 'lifestyle,' the company's chief executive officer Tomaso Rodriguez told Arabian Business during the press conference. 'We started by offering free deliveries on food [for 'pro' members]. Then we started getting more benefits also on the grocery vertical, we started adding bank partnerships and other benefits, and also discounts on specific items on talabat Mart and more. So, I think now, for us, it's also time to focus on what's outside of our ecosystem. 'And when we think about all the possible options, we believe that our customers—especially talabat Pro customers, who are the heaviest users on the talabat app and who seek convenience to get their food delivered—can also seek convenience to get around the city in a smart and very smooth way, right? So, when we started talking with the Bolt team, we realised our values and the way we think about the business are very similar. We have a customer obsession.—we really want to make sure we deliver a fantastic product,' Rodriguez added.
Gulf Business
12-05-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
Talabat profit soars nearly 4x as groceries drive growth
Image credit: Getty Images Online food delivery outfit Talabat has kicked off the year with a sharp surge in profitability, reporting a near fourfold increase in net income to $103m for the first quarter of 2025, marking a strong performance in a sector known for tight margins and growing competition. The Dubai-headquartered company, which operates in eight MENA markets — the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq — now serves over 6.5 million active users. The strong Q1 performance underscores rising consumer demand for digital convenience and the platform's ability to diversify beyond restaurant orders. Gross merchandise value (GMV) climbed 30 per cent year-on-year to $2.1bn in the quarter to March. Revenue rose 34 per cent to $846m, and adjusted EBITDA — a key profitability measure — was also up 34 per cent to $140m, representing a margin of 6.7 per cent. Adjusted net income, which excludes volatile items such as foreign exchange effects and shareholder loan interest, came in at $99m — up 24 per cent from a year ago. This figure provides a cleaner picture of core operational performance and is particularly relevant in a sector where bottom-line results can be distorted by swings in currency or one-off costs. CEO Tomaso Rodriguez attributed the growth to deepening customer loyalty, a broader product mix, and regional scale. 'Our Groceries and Retail vertical contributed approximately one-third of GMV when including InstaShop for the full quarter,' he said. Read more: 'This reinforces the opportunity in scaling this vertical further.' While Talabat's food delivery segment remains strong — especially across its core GCC markets — it is the grocery and convenience segment that is seeing faster growth. Non-GCC markets such as Egypt, Jordan and Iraq are gaining share, driven by rising order frequency and the rollout of subscription service talabat pro. In February, Talabat finalised its acquisition of InstaShop, a leading grocery delivery marketplace. The company expects to realise 'meaningful cost synergies' from the integration over the coming quarters. Adjusted free cash flow rose 39 per cent to $135m, with a cash conversion ratio of 96 per cent — underscoring the operational leverage in the business. Talabat's Q1 2025 results are its first full quarterly report since listing on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) in December 2024. Talabat's initial public offering (IPO) was the largest in the GCC in 2024 and the largest technology sector IPO globally last year. Upon listing, the company pegged its market capitalisation at around $10bn, but as of 9 May 2025 that figure was around $8.75bn. Read more:
Gulf Business
06-03-2025
- Business
- Gulf Business
UAE's talabat completes acquisition of instashop for $32m
Image: Getty Images UAE-based delivery platform talabat has finalised its acquisition of instashop, the grocery delivery platform, from its German parent company Delivery Hero for $32m. This strategic move strengthens talabat's grocery and retail portfolio in the UAE and Egypt, bringing its pro forma gross market value in those sectors to over $2.5bn for the previous year. The acquisition, first announced in September 2024, was funded entirely through its internal cash reserves. The company stated that the agreed purchase price reflects instashop's capital amount rather than fair value due to Delivery Hero's corporate restructuring and talabat's talabat to offer better services to customers across UAE and Egypt 'By integrating instashop's platform, we aim to create a more seamless and efficient delivery experience for our customers across the UAE and Egypt whilst also driving further product and technology synergies across our business,' said Tomaso Rodriguez, chief executive of Instashop, founded in 2015, has become a leading online grocery marketplace in the MENA region, connecting users with vendors and offering a wide range of products, from groceries and pharmacy items to beauty essentials. In 2024, instashop achieved strong growth with a gross market value of $631m, a 16 per cent increase from the previous year. This acquisition promises to unlock operational and technology efficiencies for both businesses, with integration activities already underway. Instashop will continue to operate as an independent brand within talabat's Grocery and Retail vertical. Rodriguez said: 'This acquisition supports and complements our strategy to grow our Grocery and Retail offering and is a testament to our commitment to enhancing customer experience and providing customers with even greater choice and convenience.' New chapter for instashop Nikola Cabarkapa, CEO of instashop, also expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, 'This partnership will enable us to leverage talabat's extensive network and operational expertise, allowing us to enhance our service delivery and continue our mission of providing exceptional convenience to our customers.' The acquisition is expected to generate substantial operational synergies for talabat, including the expansion of its partner network, optimised operations through shared resources, and improved product and technology integration.
