Flipdish agrees deal with French department store Galeries Lafayette

Irish tech unicorn Flipdish has agreed a new partnership to develop a bespoke product-ordering solution for the upmarket French department store chain Galeries Lafayette.

Flipdish became one of six official home-grown tech unicorns last month following a new $100 million (€87.9m) investment that valued it at $1.25 billion.

The new platform will allow Galeries Lafayette to manage stock and deal with complex business issues such as order capacity management and minimum prep times.

Another key element of the deal is that the store will be able to offer same-day delivery within the Paris region with the integration of two different delivery partners via the system.

Galeries Lafayette has 57 stores in France and a further eight outlets internationally. Lafayette Gourmet is a fine food deli and market place located in the retailer’s flagship store on Boulevard Haussmann that offers local produce such as foie gras.

The deal was announced as part of an Enterprise Ireland trade mission to Paris led by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.

Flipdish co-founder James McCarthy described the new partnership as a “big milestone” for the company.

“Galeries Lafayette and its historical store on Boulevard Haussmann are a core of Paris’ wonderful culture and its gourmet food court is second to none. With Flipdish technology,we will be able to ensure that those wishing to avail of the store’s food offerings are able to pay and order for same-day delivery,” he said.

Founded by James and his brother Conor McCarthy in 2015, Flipdish originally positioned itself as an alternative to online fast-food delivery aggregators such as Just Eat, Deliveroo and Uber Eats by helping restaurant owners bring their online ordering capability in-house. While this still accounts for the bulk of its business, the company has expanded beyond just partnering restaurants in recent years.

Reporting: The Irish Times