Foodpanda, the global group that originally started the brand hellofood in March 2013, has announced the merger of the two leading online food ordering platforms “hellofood” and “HungerStation”.

This newborn strategic partnership will strengthen the operations and footprint of the two companies in Saudi Arabia, as well as consolidate foodpanda group’s market leadership in the region, said a statement.

“foodpanda is always on the lookout for strategic opportunities, to combine the best global operational practices with great successful entrepreneurs, obtaining solid local and regional market knowledge and strive to bring the most convenient food delivery experience to our customers” said co-founder and COO of foodpanda Global, Felix Plog.

“hellofood and HungerStation have already proved the effectiveness of this merger in just three months; we can already foresee the prosperous future of this partnership,” added Plog.

Under the leadership of Ebrahim Al-Jassim, founder and CEO of HungerStation, both brands will continue to operate in the kingdom to cater to the different segments of customers and offer the largest variety of food outlets and restaurants.

The partnership will bring together a strong dedicated team to lead the operations and provide better services and food offerings to the more than 20 million residents currently covered by the platforms in more than 47 cities across Saudi Arabia.

Anass Boumediene, managing director of foodpanda Middle East, said: “This merger presents an opportunity for two market leaders to combine their skills and expertise to further provide enhanced services and food offerings for our customers in Saudi Arabia and the region.

"With Ebrahim’s ambition and great entrepreneurial spirit, coupled with our diverse operational practices we can set assure that this partnership is the perfect successful combo for Saudi Arabia and the region,” added Mehdi Oudghiri, co-managing director of foodpanda Middle East.

“With the experience, resources and technology that foodpanda brings to the table, we are very excited and ready to take the next big step in order to provide a world class service and experience to our growing customer base,” said Al-Jassim, founder and CEO of HungerStation.

“We have worked very hard during the last years, in developing strategic alliances with the main players in the food industry and building trust among our customers. That together with our working ethics and culture helped us to become the leader of online food delivery in the Kingdom, leading to this great opportunity to join hands with hellofood.”

HungerStation and hellofood remain committed to outgrow the online food industry, by continuing to expand into new cities, introducing new complimentary services as well as partnering with more and more food outlets to ensure it meets all consumers’ tastes, the statement said.

The company also operates the food delivery businesses in the United Arab Emirates and in Egypt.  – TradeArabia News Service