Otlob, the Egyptian food delivery platform, is being rebranded to Talabat, the Dubai-based company announced in a statement today to MENAbytes. With this rebranding exercise, Delivery Hero is further consolidating its business in the Middle East and North Africa under the brand of Talabat.
Talabat had also absorbed the operations of Carriage earlier this year. With the latest rebranding, which will be completed on September 1, Delivery Hero will have only three consumer-facing brands in the region—Talabat, which is present across the region; Zomato in the UAE; and HungerStation in Saudi Arabia.
“The September 1 rebrand reconfirms Talabat’s commitment to the Egyptian market, and the vast potential that it holds. In the upcoming years, Talabat will continue to invest significantly in the country to stimulate growth in a range of delivery-related sectors—aligning with the recently launched Digital Transformation initiative by the Egyptian government,” said Talabat in a statement to MENAbytes.
Founded in 1999, Otlob is known as the first food ordering platform in the region. Even though its ownership has changed hands multiple times in its history of over 20 years, the brand had adapted to the times to survive. Not anymore.
Rocket Internet had acquired Otlob in 2015. Delivery Hero, in late 2016, acquired Rocket Internet’s food delivery businesses and Otlob was apparently part of the deal that closed in 2017.
Talabat has also announced that it plans to create 50,000 freelance rider jobs in Egypt by the end of this year.
MENAbytes understands that with the rebranding, Talabat also plans to launch its dark stores in Egypt and introduce its super-quick grocery delivery service, starting with Cairo. However, the company’s statement did not include any details on this.
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Tomaso Rodriguez, the chief executive officer of Talabat, commented on the occasion and said, “First of all, let me pay homage to Otlob and the Otlob team, an Egyptian success story which we’re privileged to continue to build on. When we acquired Otlob in 2017, we saw that Egypt is a country of massive potential. It is a market of 100 million Egyptians with a love for food and the joy it brings to friends and families.”
“We’re also rapidly expanding our operations, opening up 50,000 new freelance rider positions for the people of Egypt, where riders have the flexibility to choose their own hours, and get to appreciate the satisfaction of joy on customer’s faces when they deliver their goods,” he added.
Otlob’s managing director, Sofiène Marzouki, said, “For our customers, safety, speed, affordability, and variety remain at the forefront of what we do. Over the next two months, we’re planning to add over 2,000 restaurant partners to our platform, to continue to offer the variety that our customers want. What’s more, we’re going to offer some of the most affordable meals that you can find via a 30 EGP meal deal.”
“Another major change that we are excited for our customers to experience is our new updated app—which will feature a cleaner look, feel, and user experience, when consumers move to our Talabat app. This means that the whole order process will be simpler, more engaging, and more intuitive. The Talabat app will be available when we rebrand on September 1,” he added.
This article first appeared in MENAbytes.
