Yango Deli, the ultrafast grocery delivery arm of NASDAQ-listed tech giant Yandex, announces the launch of its operations in the UK. Yango Deli is opening four dark stores across London, covering some 1.4 million potential customers with its service that delivers groceries in about 15 minutes.

The London hubs are the latest addition to a global network of more than 400 dark stores, operated by Yango Deli in France and Israel and by Yandex.Lavka, Yandex’s grocery delivery brand in Russia, covering the country’s five cities with a total population of more than 25 million people.

Yango Deli has been able to scale quickly, supported by its robust proprietary technology and proven business model. Armed with this experience and supported by one of the world’s leading tech firms, Yango Deli now brings its expertise to the UK market.

Evgeny Chernikov, General Manager at Yango Deli UK, said: “The UK, and London in particular, is an exciting new market for Yango Deli, as the city is especially well suited to the dark store model. The densely populated capital is full of busy professionals, young students and many others who appreciate the convenience of a fast, stress-free shopping experience. Ultrafast grocery delivery is here to help, whether Londoners need to order a last-minute essential ingredient for a dinner recipe, fresh baked goods, or a flat white caffeine boost to start the day, Yango Deli is expertly configured to save precious time. Our operations are tried and tested on a large scale and across multiple geographies, and we’re now excited to bring a new level of ultrafast grocery service to the UK’s bustling capital.”

Maxim Avtukhov, Head of International Markets for Yango Deli, said: “As a part of the Yandex ecosystem, Yango Deli is an established player in an industry largely dominated by new startups seeking investment. We benefit from our own tech solutions, which facilitate our intelligent supply and demand planning, predictive assortment selection and effective picking and delivery routing. We are now rolling out Yango Deli into high-potential European markets and will take a decision regarding further expansion based on our success there.”

Yango Deli’s strategically located dark stores are today stocked with approximately 2,500 SKUs, ranging from everyday essentials such as fresh and regular groceries to freshly baked pastries, alcohol, personal care products, housewares and more.

Our carefully chosen product assortment provides a supermarket level of quality and variety, offering both international brands and local favourites. Yango Deli is piloting the delivery of freshly cooked hot food – a first for the London ultrafast grocery sector.

Yango Deli currently operates in London’s Bethnal Green, Battersea, Bermondsey and Acton. Over the coming months the service will expand to cover other areas of London.

Yango Deli is available every day from 7 am until 11 pm, with no delivery fee or minimum order requirement. Customers can download the app via the App Store or Google Play, and can pay for items by either debit card, credit card or Apple Pay. For more information visit: https://deli.yango.com/en-GB.