Glovo opens regional office in Nairobi, commits Ksh.10B investment by 2030

Delivery platform Glovo has opened new regional headquarters in Nairobi as competition in Kenya's online delivery sector intensifies.

The company says the Nairobi office will serve as its African operations hub, even as it commits an additional Ksh.10 billion investment in Kenya by 2030.

The investment is expected to support expansion into more towns outside Nairobi, as firms race to capture a larger share of Kenya’s digital commerce market.

Glovo says orders on its platform grew by 40 per cent last year, while businesses operating on the platform have generated more than Ksh.20 billion in sales since the company entered the Kenyan market in 2019.

Speaking during the launch, Investments, Trade and Industry Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui said digital platforms are increasingly helping small businesses reach wider markets while supporting growth in the ICT and hospitality sectors.

“Looking at Kenya within the larger digital space, and especially fintech, which is also a merger of finance, technology and all those issues, we are seeing very many startups. And I think all we need to say is that let’s create that environment because Kenya is commanding its rightful place within the broader digital conversation," said CS Kinyanjui.

“Our business, as you know, is not just about the topline growth, the 40 per cent year-on-year and the revenue that it brings to us, or even the sales. Every Euro, every shilling, has an impact on the local ecosystem, and that is the opportunity of retailers today, merchants," Glovo Co-founder and Vice President of Global Affairs Sacha Michaud stated.

“It is to intermediate the bigger e-commerce by being very local. And when you can order something and receive it in 30 minutes instead of receiving it in two or three days, that’s huge, and quick commerce is going to be the fastest-growing area of e-commerce in the next decade.”