Swiggy, the Indian food delivery and e-commerce platform, has discontinued its gourmet grocery delivery vertical, Handpicked. Launched in 2019, Handpicked allowed customers to order high-quality groceries, meats, and seafood, among other items, from specialty stores and have them delivered to their doorstep. Swiggy’s decision to discontinue Handpicked comes amid growing competition in the online grocery delivery space in India. The space has seen significant growth over the past few years, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, as more people turned to online shopping and home delivery services. In a statement, Swiggy stated that it will be focusing on its core food delivery business and other related offerings, such as Swiggy Genie, which provides hyperlocal delivery services for a wide range of products, including groceries, medicines, and more. The company also plans to expand its cloud kitchen operations and launch new brands in the coming months. Swiggy’s move to discontinue Handpicked follows a similar decision by rival food delivery platform, Zomato, which shut down its own grocery delivery service, Zomato Market, earlier this year. Both companies have cited the high cost of operating the grocery delivery vertical and the intense competition in the space as reasons for their decision to exit.
Despite the closure of Handpicked, Swiggy remains one of India’s leading food delivery and e-commerce platforms, with a strong presence in over 500 cities across the country. The company has raised over $2 billion in funding to date and is valued at over $5 billion.