Food delivery service Talabat aims to expand its UAE operations by doubling the number of riders to reduce delivery times and adding new services on its app to tap into the potential of "quick commerce", its executive said.
The food and groceries delivery app plans to increase the number of riders to 30,000 by the end of the year, up from 15,000 currently, to cut down delivery times to 15 minutes, Jeremy Doutte, vice president of Talabat's UAE division, said in a press conference on Monday.
The online platform is also considering adding more services on its app, as it seeks to diversify its offerings and increase the frequency of customer orders by 50 per cent by year-end, he said, citing examples such as the delivery of medicine prescriptions or the offer of at-home Covid-19 testing services. Research, trials and customer focus groups will guide the new offerings, he said.
Food delivery aggregators such as Talabat and Deliveroo have benefitted massively from an uptick in online orders amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Online sales for the UAE’s food and beverage market surged 255 per cent year-on-year in 2020 to $412 million, according to a study by Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry released in February. The value of online food and beverage sales in the country is projected to reach $619m by 2025 and record a compound annual growth of 8.5 per cent in the period between 2020 and 2025, it said.
Talabat, which in 2015 was acquired by Germany's Delivery Hero, recorded 90 per cent year-on-year growth in online orders and 100 per cent year-on-year growth in app downloads during the first half of 2021, according to a company presentation.
The company reduced delivery times to 28 minutes in 2020, from an average of 40 minutes in 2018-2019, it said.
Talabat may not reach the target number of riders this year due to Covid-19-related travel restrictions on key source markets such as India combined with the long timeframe to acquire driving licences and complete training , Mr Doutte said. Talabat's riders are provided by third-party logistics companies, it said.
As part of its UAE expansion plans, Talabat will also be adding more cloud kitchens. Also known as ghost kitchens, these are commercial establishments built to prepare food specifically for delivery and they have benefited from the shift to online services during the coronavirus crisis. They have no physical presence as a restaurant and offer delivery-only services from a centralised location through a mobile app.
Talabat plans to add 12 cloud kitchens, in addition to its existing seven units, by the end of this year as they help reduce costs and increase operating margins, Mr Doutte told reporters.
The executive expects that about 30 to 40 per cent of its future deliveries in the next three to four years will be prepared in cloud kitchens to cut down on food delivery timings.
Last year, the online food delivery platform introduced initiatives to help its restaurant partners weather the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic that took a huge toll on the sector. Talabat waived and deferred fees for restaurants for six months but this agreement is no longer in place, Mr Doutte said.
In March 2021, Talabat also settled commission payments to restaurants twice a week, up from once a week previously, to help them manage cashflow, he said.
Delivery app commissions became a point of dispute between restaurants and the major food delivery apps last year during the height of the pandemic.
Founded in Kuwait in 2004, Talabat operates in markets in the Middle East and North Africa, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan.
It expanded into Iraq earlier this year with operations into Erbil, the Kurdistan region's capital and the most populated city in northern Iraq, Mr Doutte said.
In 2019, Talabat bought the Middle East operations of Zomato but it has allowed it to retain its brand identity. However, it absorbed earlier acquisitions such as Kuwait's food delivery platform Carriage and Egypt's Otlob under its own brand.
Mr Doutte declined to comment on any potential new acquisitions.
The company's network includes more than 15,000 restaurants and stores and nearly 24,000 branches. Some of its partners include global brands like Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Papa John's, TGI Fridays and Subway.
The biog
Favourite Emirati dish: Fish machboos
Favourite spice: Cumin
Family: mother, three sisters, three brothers and a two-year-old daughter
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
Notable Yas events in 2017/18
October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)
December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race
March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event
March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge
Profile of Hala Insurance
Date Started: September 2018
Founders: Walid and Karim Dib
Based: Abu Dhabi
Employees: Nine
Amount raised: $1.2 million
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, AB Accelerator, 500 Startups, private backers
Profile Box
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Mohammed Toraif
Based: Manama, Bahrain
Sector: Sales, Technology, Conservation
Size: (employees/revenue) 4/ 5,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($100,000)
Investors: Two first-round investors including, 500 Startups, Fawaz Al Gosaibi Holding (Saudi Arabia)
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
'Cheb%20Khaled'
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