Careem acquires online restaurant listing platform, to trial food delivery

Dubai-based ride-hailing app Careem said on Sunday it had acquired RoundMenu and would start trialling food delivery services through the restaurant listing and reservation online platform this month.

The company, which has operations in more than 90 cities across 13 countries. acquired the website and app for an undisclosed sum, and “will begin testing a delivery capability for RoundMenu customers on a small scale later this month,” it said in a statement to Reuters.

RoundMenu has a presence in 18 cities across nine Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt, according to its website.

There is demand for delivery services in the Middle East, particularly in the Gulf Arab states where temperatures can soar above 50 degrees in the summer. Several food delivery companies, including Talabat, Zomato, UberEats, and Deliveroo, are active in the region.

RoundMenu has raised $3.1m in funding since it launched in 2012, the Careem statement said.

Careem said in June it would accelerate expansion plans after raising $500m from investors, including German carmaker Daimler and Saudi Arabia’s Kingdom Holding .

In July, it took a minority stake in an Egyptian start-up that connects commuters with private buses in Cairo.