noon.com, a homegrown digital marketplace, has announced during an exclusive webinar with Mohamed Alabbar its plans to launch a new platform dedicated to supporting local food and beverage businesses.
“There is no denying the impact of the coronavirus crisis of 2020. This year has been a challenge on all fronts. Small and local businesses that have been built over decades with love have been badly impacted,” says Alabbar.
“When the virus hit, our F&B industry had little choice, but to turn to aggregators who were charging up to 35 per cent commission structures. Can we, as businessmen, survive with this? No. We have been held ransom by food aggregator platforms. And that’s not acceptable. Our F&B industry is a part of the beating heart of this economy, and it has been severely impacted. We must do all we can to support and protect it. This is out of love for our businesses, families, nation and economy. We must think beyond profit.”
“noon was born to serve the people of this region,” adds Alabbar. “Thirty five per cent commission on food delivery services cannot be right. We will not allow food operators to be held at ransom. We will not accept that. We will work with you fairly and openly. Our people, businesses and region deserve better.”
noon Food will be built into the noon.com app. It will be a restaurant-first platform, dedicated to giving local businesses the opportunity to thrive beyond these times. The platform promises to ensure fair commissions that will dramatically alter the playing field for F&B deliveries, in addition to additional incentives for businesses who choose to onboard with them.
noon Food will be rolled out across the region in the coming months.
