French grocery delivery startup La Belle Vie has acquired Frichti, another food delivery service, which was in court-ordered receivership. La Belle Vie’s offer was chosen by the court over three other offers. Frichti started in 2015 and expanded its services to include grocery delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. La Belle Vie, on the other hand, has been operating as an online supermarket since 2015, focusing on fresh produce and consumer goods. The company has experienced steady growth and reached profitability this year.
With the acquisition, La Belle Vie plans to retain 168 out of Frichti’s 408 employees. The company, which currently operates in the greater Paris area, intends to consolidate Frichti’s 16 delivery hubs to four. La Belle Vie’s co-founder and co-CEO, Paul Lê, highlighted the different positioning and brand recognition of Frichti in Paris, as well as La Belle Vie’s tech-oriented approach to logistics. The company aims to improve Frichti’s unit economics and leverage its profitability and expertise in same-day deliveries to further enhance the combined business.
In addition to the acquisition, La Belle Vie is launching a new site and app called Frichti Market. This platform will feature a curated selection of Frichti’s products along with some of La Belle Vie’s items. The aim is to cater to different customer personas, with Frichti serving Parisians seeking convenient grocery options for small families or singles, while La Belle Vie targets families with larger orders as an online supermarket. Overall, La Belle Vie’s acquisition of Frichti presents an opportunity for synergy and growth in the competitive food delivery market in France.
