TORONTO, CANADA - Everyone wants a slice out of the grocery pie these days and with it, the chance to take Amazon down a few pegs. Last week, Uber posted a job listing for a “Head of Grocery Product” position, leading many in the biz to believe the transportation titan is the next major company to expand beyond its initial business model to include the coveted grocery sector.
Within its listing, Uber described the Head of Grocery Product position as one that will “build the organization and globally scale a brand-new product offering which will fundamentally evolve how people purchase their groceries.”
Following the post, news sources like Forbes and Business Insider immediately pointed to Uber’s grocery ambitions, noting its rapidly growing Uber Eats segment, which would be further bolstered by the company’s foray into grocery. Uber previously reported that Uber Eats is expanding 150 percent annually and totaled $2.1 billion of its overall gross bookings in the third quarter of 2018. The news sources also reported the job posting is in-line with Uber’s goals of growing its Canadian presence by expanding its office staff in Toronto.
Earlier this year, Uber’s CEO Dara Khosrowshahi alluded to this very plan, stating: “You can absolutely see grocery as being an adjacency…And someone needs to be the orchestration layer for people moving around cities, and I think that can be us. It’s an enormous opportunity. The real challenge for us is where do we focus and where do we partner.”
Will a familiar industry face fall into Uber’s Head of Grocery Product position? And how will this new position boost Uber’s grocery standing? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest grocery retail news.
