Australia: 7-Eleven acquires Australian alcohol delivery start-up Tipple
By Jules Scully
August 13, 2018
The 7-Eleven Group has bought a majority stake Australian alcohol delivery start-up Tipple as it aims to meet the changing needs of its customers.
Founded in 2015, Tipple delivers beverages in 30 minutes by partnering with local and independent bottle shops.
The business currently operates in more than 120 suburbs in Melbourne and Sydney, with more cities and bottle shop partners targeted for the next 12 months in a bid to disrupt Australia’s alcohol market.
Tipple is driven by a proprietary technology platform that has been developed in-house to integrate with bottle shops and facilitate on-demand ‘last-mile’ delivery logistics.
7-Eleven CEO Angus McKay said: “7-Eleven led the way in digital innovation with our world-first Fuel App, and continue to explore how we can best meet the evolving needs of our convenience customers through digital, delivery and in-store services. Tipple’s business model and platform is well-aligned with these interests, and has grown significantly since starting up less than three years ago.
“While in time there may be interesting opportunities for the two businesses to explore and work together serving convenience customers, for now this partnership is about bringing our customer insights and marketing expertise to help accelerate the growth and expansion of Tipple as a standalone business.”
Tipple CEO Ryan Barrington added: “We couldn’t be happier to be preparing for the next phase of Tipple’s growth alongside 7-Eleven.
“Their expertise and capabilities are unparalleled, but it’s our shared ambition to create new and engaging customer experiences on the cutting edge of convenience that excites us most.
“We’re very excited about the potential for this partnership to transform the landscape of both alcohol and convenience retailing in Australia.”
The deal follows the announcement earlier this month that AB InBev’s venture capital division ZX Ventures bought Australian alcohol retailer BoozeBud. ZX Ventures has pledged to invest to allow BoozeBud to increase its product range.