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Hawke’s Bay
E-retailer Mighty Ape has launched Mighty Mart, an online grocery store.
The North Shore, Auckland-based company says it will specialise in non-perishable goods such as pasta, pasta sauces, baby care items, cleaning products and pet food.
It will ship nationwide for a flat fee of $5
The move into groceries seems sensible; unlike books, movies and music, they can't be digitised and downloaded from the likes of iTunes.
But why bother with Mighty Marty when the big supermarket chains offer online shopping?
The new site's range of goods is smaller (it says it will expand), but delivery is cheaper (Countdown, for example, charges between $8.25 and $15.25, depending on how much you buy).
Spokesman Matt East adds, "We don't see ourselves going head to head with Countdown. We see ourselves as offering something different, in addition to your weekly shop - bulk bags of lollies, 5kg tubs of Nutella, Peanut Slabs by the box, or a dozen bottles of Mizone."
Mighty Ape recently introduced a same-day delivery policy for online buyers in parts of Auckland. However, it doesn't extend to Mighty Mart, which is offering overnight delivery only.
Mr East refused to comment on Mighty Ape's targets for the new venture, or financials, but offered the company had recently extended its warehouse to 5400 square meters and that "Our last December quarter saw us increase sales 60% up on the previous December quarter. Statistics NZ had retail for the same time period up 1% so we are well ahead of the pack."
Across New Zealand and Australia (where its offered sales since 2010) Mighty Ape has 1 million visits a month, Mr East says.
Mighty Ape is 75% owned by founder Simon Barton, also known for Game Planet and its associated GP Store (now subsumed into Mighty Ape).
NBR staff
Fri, 31 May 2013
Fri, 31 May 2013
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Mighty Ape tries its hand with online grocery, offering bulk deals
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