Fridge No More was an ultrafast grocery delivery app, boasting that it could deliver a 15-minute order to your door in New York City.
The company, which launched in October 2020, had a handful of locations in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. It sold packaged pasta, fresh produce, and packaged bread.
Depending on your location, you could have your purchase delivered by an electric bike.
A week ago, the app showed the company was temporarily closed in New York. This, of course, is not entirely accurate.
On March 10, the service permanently shut down after a deal with a possible buyer fell through. Several other locations were shuttered, too.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Fridge No More was losing $78 on each average order. It had a small, dark storefront, holding only about 2,000 items.
At the same time, the company was experimenting with its product line, constantly adjusting its offerings.
What are zero groceries?
Zero Grocery is a start-up based out of Berkley, California. Its mission is to make sustainable shopping more accessible.
The service, which offers fresh groceries at wholesale prices, uses reusable packaging and eco-friendly totes. Customers pay $7.99 per delivery.
In addition to a few dozen stores, the company also offers home delivery services in the San Francisco and Los Angeles areas.
Like most startups, it has faced its share of hurdles. A recent Russian invasion of Ukraine has impeded the startup’s access to funding. However, Zero has managed to raise a modest $16.5 million to date.
Zero’s latest endeavors include a new seed round of $11.8 million. This money will be put to good use acquiring more customers, expanding its operations, and generating more scale.
For example, Zero is doubling the size of its team.
Did Buy close down?
Buy was a real-time retail grocery delivery service that promised grocery deliveries in 15 minutes. The company, which is part of the Samokat family of companies, has operations in New York and Chicago.
But after the Russian-backed company suffered a series of challenges, the company filed for bankruptcy protection.
As a result, most of its employees were laid off in March. And the company said it was forced to shut down all operations.
In a statement to the Washington Post, the company’s CEO, James Walker, said the company was facing a number of financing problems.
He also claimed that the Russian founders were not sanctioned and had provided the company with “bridge” funding until the next round of financing.
According to Bloomberg, the financial advisor to Buy has now fired the sale of its physical assets. A portion of the money will go to paying its grocery couriers.
Is the 1520 app down?
If you’re searching for a new delivery app for your smartphone, you’re in luck. Getir, a startup that offers 10-minute service in New York City, is now offering a $30 discount to first-time customers.
However, this is not to be confused with 1520, a grocery delivery service based in New York.
The company, which launched in January, promised free delivery of groceries in 20 minutes or less, and had been serving customers in Manhattan and Chicago.
But after running out of cash, executives decided to wind down the business.
Before the 1520 shutdown, the company was in acquisition talks with Joker, a food delivery service that has a foot in the door with Apple. But Joker never materialized its offer.
And, according to an article published on Dotan, the 1520 grocery delivery service is no more.
What is the App 1520?
1520 is a New York-based grocery delivery service. The startup launched earlier this year with a focus on instant delivery.
After a successful launch in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, 1520 expanded to other parts of the city and Chicago in September.
However, in recent weeks the company’s situation has taken a turn for the worse.
The business burned through its capital and its executives decided to wind it down. Earlier this month, it was reported that the company had reached out to Jokr, an instant delivery service based in Toronto.
According to a source, the company considered acquiring 1520 but chose to pass on the opportunity.
1520 was started by Oleg Shevlyagin, who previously worked at McKinsey and Yandex Taxi. He also raised $8 million in seed funding from venture capital firms.