It looks like 7-Eleven is ditching longtime partner DoorDash.
The two companies have collaborated heavily in recent years, with the convenience store chain using DoorDash couriers to power its 30-minute delivery service.
But a pair of inside sources told The Information on Thursday that 7-Eleven has acquired San Antonio-based delivery startup Skipcart, suggesting a desire to distance itself from the food delivery app.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed by the sources, and 7-Eleven did not immediately respond to Modern Shipper’s request for confirmation of the transaction.
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Skipcart was founded in 2018 and was valued at $69 million two years ago, per the report. The company uses a network of more than 150,000 crowdsourced drivers to deliver food, beverage, retail, pharmaceutical and e-commerce products to customers in 37 U.S. states and parts of Canada.
One source with knowledge of the deal explained that 7-Eleven relies on DoorDash couriers to deliver orders both through its own app and DoorDash’s. But the other person added that, with the acquisition of Skipcart, the convenience store intends to compete more directly with DoorDash and other rivals like Gopuff.
The initial partnership between 7-Eleven and DoorDash came in 2015, but since then, the chain has added to its third-party delivery app roster. In 2020 alone, it partnered with Instacart, Uber Eats and Grubhub. The year prior, 7-Eleven introduced delivery on its own platform with the addition of its 7NOW app.
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The company has even experimented with some cutting-edge delivery technologies. In December, it began driverless deliveries with tech company Nuro in Mountain View, California. Nuro is also delivering for FedEx and Domino’s in the Houston area.
Meanwhile, in Japan, 7-Eleven has reportedly been testing store-to-door drone delivery, teaming with ANA Holdings, the parent company of Japanese airline All Nippon Airways. The service is planned to roll out fully by 2025.
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