Mercato,
the online ordering and delivery platform for independently owned
grocery stores, recently moved its headquarters from New York City to
San Diego in the Downtown Works building on W. B Street. The rapidly
growing startup will continue to maintain office space in New York City
for some sales staff.
The move signals Mercato’s ongoing strategy to expand in markets
from coast to coast. Tech entrepreneur and Mercato
Founder and CEO Bobby Brannigan, who created the e-commerce platform
to help independent grocers like his parents in Brooklyn, NY, to
compete, sees the potential for startups in San Diego. He cites the
city’s livability, beautiful beaches and ability to attract
highly-qualified employees.
“We moved Mercato to San Diego because of its amazing weather, vibrant
and growing downtown, and lower cost of living compared to cities like
New York City and San Francisco,” said Brannigan. “As one of the
country’s most desirable cities to live in, San Diego attracts top
talent, now an advantage for Mercato.”
Brannigan is familiar with the art of the startup. He and four current
members of the Mercato leadership team previously bootstrapped
ValoreBooks to $85 million in sales, eventually selling to Boston-based
SimpleTuition. The team’s reputation has attracted a number of investors
such as Neil Senturia’s San Diego-based Blackbird
Ventures, to successful serial entrepreneur and philanthropist Michael
Loeb, with chief among his successes Priceline.com, known for its
travel deals and travel search engine, and Synapse Group (acquired by
Time Inc.).
“Mercato is successively addressing an underserved market in the online
grocery delivery space – independent grocers,” says Loeb. “Bobby and his
team have the experience, vision, and drive to be the brand name in
online grocery delivery for independent retailers in the U.S. We’re
bullish on Mercato and plan on providing further investment in the
future.”
Mercato also recently added 14 new staff members who will be working at
the San Diego headquarters including Brian
Waldman as Vice President of Marketing, and Gauri
Munuswamy recently-promoted from Head of Sales to Vice President of Sales.
Mercato has plans to add additional personnel throughout 2019.
To date, Mercato has onboarded about 650 independent grocers in markets
such as New York (Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens); Chicago; San
Francisco; Alameda, CA; Washington, D.C.; Boston, Philadelphia, Los
Angeles and in San Diego with retailers such as Venissimo
Cheese and Windmill
Farms.
About Mercato
Mercato
offers ecommerce and same-day delivery of high-quality groceries and
specialty foods from more than 650 independently owned stores across the
country. Bobby Brannigan, an entrepreneur who grew up working in his
parent’s grocery store in Brooklyn, NY, created Mercato to level the
playing field by bringing online shopping and delivery to independent
grocers and their valued customers. For more information, visit Mercato.com.
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View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190429005292/en/