Zmall Brings Late-Night Deliveries to Addis Ababa

In an effort to cater to its customers around the clock, Zmall Delivery has extended its operations until midnight. The startup, which is collaborating with restaurants and adding a new night shift, decided to extend its service after identifying a market gap.

“We have realized there is a lot of untapped potential when it comes to late food deliveries. There are a lot of people who are asking us why we don’t deliver at night and would be actually interested in the service,” said Gaspard De Gruben, Zmall’s CEO.

“The idea is to be open from 8 a.m. until midnight. We have already started opening at 8 a.m. two weeks ago,” he added.

In Addis Ababa, delivery services don’t operate at night, and restaurants are usually closed, making it difficult to order food. In addition, there is a standing ban on motorcycles operating after 9 p.m. in the capital. Zmall is thus deploying vehicles to deliver.

The startup is utilizing eight independent vehicles now and aims to increase its fleet as it sees demand grow. Night-time deliveries will cost users a flag-down fee of 200 birr, with no additional charge within a 2 km distance. After that, users are charged 25 birr per km. These fees are higher compared to the startup’s daytime operation, which utilizes motorcycles with a flag-down fee of 90 birr and a 10 birr per km charge.

“We are targeting people who come from late work, people having parties and families,” the CEO told Shega. According to Gaspard, this extension makes Zmall the longest-serving food delivery service in Addis Ababa.

Zmall has partnered with twenty-five restaurants, including Garden City, Café Burlin, Meme Burger, and Lust In, for the new services. Restaurants such as Celavie, which are already open 24 hours, have also joined the service. In addition to its food delivery, Zmall is cueing some of the liquor stores it onboarded for the night shift.

Last month, the Addis Ababa Trade Bureau mandated extended working hours for businesses and service providers in the corridor development zones, the latest urban reform to transform Addis into a smart and modern city. According to a letter issued on July 14, 2024, to officials of the 11 sub-city administrations, businesses must remain open until at least 9:00 p.m. to support the city’s transition to a 24-hour economy. Biniam Mikru, head of the Bureau, emphasized the benefits for the city’s growth, urging compliance with the new schedule.

In February of this year, Zmall went through a change of leadership as its founding CEO, Temesgen Geberehiwot (Ph.D.), stepped down and Gaspard, a Belgian business developer, was appointed as its new CEO.