New Delhi, April 13 (IANS) Food delivery platform Swiggy on Monday said it has expanded delivery of groceries and household essential services to over 125 cities in the country.

Available on the Swiggy app under the ‘Grocery' tab, the company is enabling on-demand procurement and delivery of essentials to the customer's doorstep and the service is being fulfilled through neighbourhood stores and distribution centres of large brands.

"Extending our hyperlocal delivery offering will unlock a new dimension of convenience and safety for our consumers as well as earnings for our Delivery Partners during these extraordinary times.
"As we continue to scale this category, our goal is to provide the necessary support in terms of access to essentials and encourage citizens to stay at home during the lockdown period", Vivek Sunder, COO Swiggy said in a statement.

Through the ‘Grocery' category, consumers can directly view available stores in their locality, add items to their cart for payment and opt for ‘no-contact' delivery on prepaid orders.

Swiggy has partnered with several national brands and retailers such as HUL, P&G, Godrej, Dabur, Marico, Vishal Mega Mart, Adani Wilmers, Cipla and other city-specific stores to supply branded essential products and food items.

Additionally, Swiggy has revamped its offering ‘Swiggy Go' by launching a hyperlocal delivery service ‘Genie' in over 15 cities.

‘Genie', as the name suggests, opens up the platform for pick up and drop of items from anywhere within the city.
This includes instant pickup and drop service to send packages across the city or purchase essentials from a particular store.

Swiggy has also introduced ‘Swiggy Hunger Savior Covid Relief Fund' with contributions from Swiggy leaders, employees and investors, along with launching the ‘Hope, not Hunger' initiative to feed thousands of underprivileged, daily wagers and stranded migrant labourers during the lockdown.

--IANS wh/na