foodpanda establishes HQ in Singapore, aims to form tech hub

Food delivery company foodpanda has established Singapore as the region’s headquarters to ensure proximity to the markets it serves. Also in line with the company’s further expansion plans in Southeast Asia, foodpanda will be hiring over 500 talents across product and engineering teams to form a new technology hub.According to foodpanda, it aims to bring onboard 100 engineers over the next three months. The company looks to position Singapore at the heart of technological innovation and product development tailored for the region. Since foodpanda’s launch in Singapore in 2012, product development has primarily been managed by Delivery Hero’s headquarters in Berlin. However, the company saw “unparalleled opportunities” in Southeast Asia, recording a 114.8% growth year-on-year in Asia in Q2 2019, well ahead of EMEA (59.7%), the Americas (43.8%) and Europe (42.1%).A Delivery Hero spokesperson said that it is well-positioned in the delivery and marketplace sector in Southeast Asia to meet the increasing customer demand through its foodpanda brand. “We have been investing successfully in the region and Singapore as a hub, and we are excited about our continued growth, offering a best-in-class experience and innovative tech platform for partners and customers and building a diverse and fun workplace that attracts top global talent,” the spokesperson added.In addition, foodpanda Singapore has partnered with NTUC Income to offer free third-party liability insurance for all active PMD and bicycle riders from September 2019. The food delivery company also looks to launch a RideSafe Platform, which will address issues around PMD rider safety and educate and inform riders on safe riding and LTA regulations. This comes shortly after the food delivery company rolled out insurance packages for all riders.Peter Tay, NTUC Income’s chief digital officer, said leveraging foodpanda’s riders and delivery data, the insurance company co-created with foodpanda a third-party liability insurance cover for each job that the delivery rider undertakes. According to Tay, this partnership with foodpanda plays to NTUC Income’s quest to redefine how insurance is purchased and consumed to suit modern lifestyles.“As independent contractors in the gig economy, we understand it can be difficult for our riders to find insurance packages that address their needs. With the NTUC partnership, we will be able to leverage on digital solutions and co-create innovation insurance packages that our riders will find to be both affordable and beneficial,” said Luc Andreani, managing director, foodpanda Singapore.Commemorating its seventh year of operations in Singapore, foodpanda has created new opportunities for consumers. From launching a dine-in restaurant in the country to introducing “Pick-Up”, the company has also established a network to aid and support riders in their day-to-day operations.To take it up a notch, in lieu of the nation’s 54th birthday, foodpanda unveiled a challenge to answer an age-old question: “What is Singapore’s national dish?”Digging into its data, in the two weeks leading up to National Day, each order placed on foodpanda between 25 July to 8 August will be counted as a vote to crown Singapore’s true national dish. foodpanda will be tracking the results in real-time and showcasing what the 27 neighbourhoods in Singapore think the national dish should be. The food delivery company will reveal the winning dish at the end of the two-week period which falls on National Day.