• Industry veteran Justin King to join tech platform the Snappy Group as senior adviser and investor

• Appointment follows the launch of Series A fundraise to continue rapid expansion in the convenience and hospitality sectors

• The Snappy Group is formed of two businesses, Snappy Shopper Ltd and Hungrrr Ltd, operating in the growing UK convenience grocery sector and the hospitality sector respectively

• The company’s mission is to democratise e-commerce technology by providing an affordable solution to local businesses enabling them to compete in the fast-growing home delivery market

Justin King

Former Sainsbury’s CEO Justin King, has become a senior adviser to The Snappy Group, the technology platform that connects consumers with their local businesses.

Local businesses and communities are at the heart of the Snappy Group’s mission - its website and app provide local businesses with an affordable, bespoke e-commerce delivery and click & collect solution for local consumers.

The Snappy Shopper app enables consumers to order groceries from their local convenience store and have them delivered by the store’s own drivers to their homes from as little as 30 minutes. The company currently serves retailers from most major players and has partnership agreements with several regional Co-op’s, Nisa and Spar.

Justin King was CEO of Sainsbury’s between 2004 and 2014, and prior to that was head of Food at Marks & Spencer. He held many high-profile roles in a thirty-year career spanning consumer goods and grocery retailing. Justin is currently a non-executive director of Marks and Spencer and a member of the Public Interest Body of PwC. The Snappy Group says his appointment will bring a wealth of retail understanding and business experience to the Snappy Group board, as the Company seeks to grow the services it provides to local retailers and hospitality organisations.

King said: “I have been hugely impressed by the Snappy Group’s affordable solution, leadership team and rapid growth. The company is championing the needs of businesses in their local community. Its proprietary technology provides local businesses with an affordable delivery solution which enables them to compete in this fast-changing market segment. This not only caters to the trend for top-up shopping but also an increasing desire by consumers to access and support local enterprises.

“This is an exciting and pivotal time for the business and I believe that I will be able to add significant value. I look forward to working with the management team as the business continues its expansion and grows its market share further within the thriving UK convenience market and beyond.”

Mike Callachan, Co-founder of Snappy Shopper, said: “We are very excited to have been able to attract Justin’s interest and investment. Justin is one of the UK’s most successful business leaders and brings a wealth of experience within the retail and FMCG sector, which will be invaluable as we expand further.

“Prior to the pandemic, the Snappy Group was already established in both hospitality and grocery home delivery. The lockdown has served to accelerate the online trend, but we strongly believe that the shift in consumer behaviour will persist in the long term. While we expect the rapid rate of growth in deliveries to slow slightly as lockdown eases through the summer months, the online market is a long way from maturation.”

“Our mission is to give communities on demand access to the products of local businesses. In this context, our platform is based on genuine partnerships and the principle of mutual benefit. The platform therefore evolves to suit their needs and I believe our flexibility, commitment and commission structure differentiate us from our competitors.”