Honestbee, the Singapore-headquartered online grocery delivery service, has revealed plans to bring its new brick-and-mortar outlet to eight markets in Asia.
Last month, the company opened its first Habitat outlet in Singapore, which it describes as “the world’s first tech-integrated multi-sensory grocery and dining destination of its kind”.
Founded in 2015, Honestbee has previously focused on delivering food and drinks from supermarkets and restaurants.
Spanning 60,000 square feet, Habitat is said to be a supermarket, speciality fresh grocer, online fulfilment centre, retail innovation hub and experiential dining destination.
It features cashless checkout and a robotic collection point. Honestbee said that over 20,000 Asian and global ingredients and daily essentials can be purchased online and offline through its app at the supermarket.
To enter the store, customers have to download the Honestbee app, which is linked to a credit card or BeePay, the firm’s mobile payments wallet.
For purchases of ten items or less, shoppers can use a scan-and-go function to skip the checkout line and get their items on the spot. For more items, consumers can drop off their personal trolleys at an auto-checkout point.
Honestbee said the concept makes it convenient for food and beverage companies to establish and expand their presence online and offline.
Joel Sng, Honestbee CEO, said: “We are excited to bring this ‘NewGen Retail’ concept from Singapore to our other eight markets and beyond soon. Guided by our passion for food and technology, we will continue to innovate in O2O solutions to enhance the quality and value of our products and retail experiences. We invite progressive partners and customers to come along with us on this journey.”
Pauline Png, managing director of Habitat by Honestbee, said: “Habitat by Honestbee is a beautiful, physical extension of the Honestbee brand we all love. With its launch, we now provide tech-enabled convenience, value and quality through food, online and offline. It is a unique combination of a full supermarket, speciality grocer, dining and interactive lifestyle destination.
“In this thoughtful space, one can expect a multi-sensorial food experience that nourishes, educates and inspires. We designed it so that customers can get their groceries and meals efficiently but also linger and enjoy the experience.”
Honestbee is now present in 16 cities across eight markets: Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong.
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