Dominique Locher, a veteran of online grocery services in Europe, realised the potential of a rapid delivery app at a board meeting of a Turkish supermarket chain in 2018.
As the directors gathered, some were offered coffee by staff; Locher pulled out his smartphone and ordered a can of Coca-Cola and some pistachios from Getir, an up-and-coming grocery delivery app based in Istanbul. Seven minutes later, Locher recalls, the Coke was on the boardroom table. His fellow directors were still waiting for their coffee.