Careem launches grocery and medicine delivery service in Dubai

Food delivery service Careem NOW has introduced an on-demand grocery, medicine and other essentials delivery service for customers in Dubai, it announced on April 21.

The deliveries will be fulfilled within an hour after an order has been placed via the Careem NOW app.

For this new initiative, it has partnered with a number of retailers in Dubai across categories ranging from groceries, organic shops, pharmacies, coffee shops and roasters, and pet stores as well as confectionaries.

The retailers include Lulu Hypermarket, 7-Eleven, 800-Pharmacy, Al Manara Pharmacy, Nescafé Dolce Gusto, The Pet Corner, The Coffee Souq, Julius Meinl Coffee, Al Dar Roastery, Rootz Organics, Al Douri Signature, Al Douri Mart, Supermarché, Narinport, Four Seasons Pharmacy and La Despensa Spanish Food Store, among others.

“Careem’s pledge to assist the community, its partners, customers and Captains during these confusing times is our top priority. This new product launch enables us to further meet the needs of the community,” said Gheed El Makkaoui, general manager of Careem UAE.

Dubai has a disinfection programme currently underway in the emirate during which the movement of residents is restricted. Those who wish to leave their homes to source groceries or other essentials must first apply for a movement permit online from the Dubai Police.

Read: Update: Dubai residents can get only one movement permit every three days

Earlier this month, online food-ordering platform Talabat also expanded its Daily by Talabat service to deliver groceries 24×7 across many parts of Dubai.

Read: Talabat now offers 24×7 grocery delivery service in Dubai

On April 1, Careem NOW said that it will reduce its commission by 15 per cent for restaurants across Dubai.

Read more: Dubai’s Careem NOW reduces its commission fee due to Covid-19

On April 16, Careem announced the extension of its on-demand delivery service, ‘Careem Box’, to include Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, in addition to Dubai as well. The service offers customers the option to request Careem to “pick and drop” items or “shop and drop” wherein drivers shop on behalf of the customer for up to Dhs350.

On April 2, Dubai Taxi’s booking service Hala said that it was offering a 20 per cent discount on rides booked through the Careem app to and from select hospitals in the emirate in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Read: Dubai’s Hala service offers 20% off on rides to and from hospitals