Wheatsheaf Group, which invests in food and agriculture businesses and is part of the Grosvenor Estate, has become a major new investor in Ireland’s leading same-day grocery delivery company Buymie which has recently launched in the UK and provides a unique same-day concierge delivery service partnering with major grocers. 

Buymie is Ireland’s most prominent company in the rapidly growing same-day grocery delivery market and over the last 18 months the business has expanded dramatically to meet the increasing demand for grocery home delivery, a trend which has heightened during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

This latest investment round was led by Wheatsheaf Group as part of €5.8 million in new investments, taking Buymie’s total capital this year to over €9 million. 

Katrin Burt, Executive Director, Wheatsheaf Group, said: “We are excited by the potential for Buymie to lead in same-day grocery delivery across the UK and Ireland with its nimble and scalable approach. The investment aligns with Wheatsheaf’s goals to empower consumers with high quality and sustainable food choices and builds on our growing portfolio throughout the food and agriculture supply chain.” 

Buymie works closely with retail partners including Lidl and The Co-op to help provide a unique same-day ‘concierge’ delivery service to their customers. Buymie’s flagship partnership with Lidl has enabled value-conscious consumers in Ireland to access same day grocery delivery, with Lidl Ireland seeing active online customers growing by as much as 39% month-on-month. Buymie enables its partners to compete with companies like Amazon, who have significant ambitions to lead in same-day grocery delivery. 

Buymie has just launched in the UK, marking the start-up’s first expansion outside Ireland. The service is initially available in the Bristol metropolitan area in partnership with The Co-op and other UK retailers. The funds recently raised will enable Buymie to continue rapid market expansion both in Ireland and in the UK, with 15 other cities currently being considered. 

Customers who are interested in getting their groceries delivered through Buymie can download the Buymie app for either iOS or Android devices.  Consumers get free delivery on their first order, after which the delivery charge is £6.99 across the Bristol metropolitan area. 

As well as driving the national and international expansion, the new funds will allow the company to focus on its mission of reducing the environmental impact of grocery shopping. Initiatives include limiting the use of secondary plastic packaging, reducing private car journeys, as well as designing incentive programmes to help facilitate a switch to electric vehicles.  

Devan Hughes, CEO & Co-Founder of Buymie added: “This funding round will help Buymie achieve our goal of becoming the leading same-day grocery delivery provider across the UK and Ireland. More and more customers are frustrated by the long waiting times offered by conventional grocery delivery services and delighted with our solution that can deliver groceries in as little as one hour. The success of our Lidl partnership has demonstrated just how much appetite there is for our service, and how important seamless delivery is to retailers’ reputations.”