Hospitality Ireland presents a round-up of the latest global food and drinks news.
DoorDash To Deliver Alcohol Across 20 US States, Canada And Australia
Food delivery firm DoorDash Inc said on Monday September 20 that it would launch alcohol delivery across 20 US states, Australia and Canada, facing up to rivals Uber Technologies Inc and GoPuff in the sector's key growth market.
After soaring in popularity during pandemic-driven lockdowns, food delivery platforms are looking to expand their businesses by offering delivery of beer, wine and spirits.
DoorDash said customers, who are legally permissible, can toggle to the alcohol tab of its app to order drinks from restaurants, local retailers and convenience stores in markets that permit alcohol delivery.
The move could drive a 30% surge in average order values of restaurants and grocers while boosting those of convenience stores by more than 50%, it said.
Rival Uber Technologies Inc earlier this year entered the alcohol delivery space with its $1.1 billion purchase of Drizly. Uber has also teamed up with GoPuff, which delivers items such as food, alcohol and medicines in more than 650 US cities.
Caterer Compass Serves Strong Outlook As Schools Open And Stadiums Fill Up
Compass Group, the world's largest catering company, on Tuesday September 21 forecast fourth-quarter revenues slightly above expectations as sports fans throng stadiums again and students come back to campuses.
The return to classrooms and live attendance at the Premier League and major league baseball games has been "strong" since the start of September, Compass said.
But the company remains cautious about its business and industry division, which caters to office workers, as uncertainty persists over the pace of workplace reopenings in its major markets.
Fourth-quarter revenue is expected to improve to about 86% of 2019 levels, slightly ahead of the company's forecast of 80% to 85%. Full-year revenue is seen at approximately 76% of 2019 levels, said the company which operates across 45 countries.
Compass, which serves office staff, students, seniors in old age homes, armed forces and events attendees, expects its full-year underlying operating margin to be about 4.4%, with fourth-quarter margins seen at the mid-point of its 5.5% to 6% range.
Caterers such as Compass and France's Sodexo had seen more first-time outsourcers during the pandemic as institutions battling cost pressures contracted big players to meet their food needs.
Pernod Ricard buys UK online spirits seller Whisky Exchange
French drinks company Pernod Ricard said on Tuesday September 21 that it has signed a deal to buy Whisky Exchange, which which specialises in on-line sale of spirits, as part of its e-commerce expansion strategy.
Pernod Ricard did not disclose the financial details of the deal. Whisky Exchange was founded in 1999 in Britain by Sukhinder and Rajbir Singh.
"E-commerce is a key channel in our long-term strategy," Pernod Ricard chairman and CEO Alexandre Ricard said in a statement.
News by Reuters, edited by Hospitality Ireland. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
