FRANCE – French multinational retail chain, Carrefour has acquired Dejbox, a pioneer in lunch delivery for business employees located in suburban and outlying areas seeking to expand the retailers e-commerce operations.

With the acquisition, Carrefour said that it will expands its e-grocery offerings to include both a new product segment (ready-to-eat meals) and a new customer base (B2E, or the business-to-employee market).

The deal will also support the retail chain’s ambitions of becoming the leader in the Food Transition for all by providing an active clientele with balanced, everyday meals at prices that everyone can afford.

Founded in 2015 by Adrien Verhack and Vincent Dupied, Dejbox is an online canteen for business employees designed to meet the needs of French employees who work in the urban hinterland and have rare access to an onsite dining service.

Dejbox has created an intuitive online and mobile user interface as well as quality, inexpensive menu offerings and a streamlined logistics operation – all designed to meet the needs of the more than 10 million French employees.

The firm operates in Lille, Lyon, Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes and Grenoble among other cities delivering over 400,000 meals each month.

The company currently employs more than 300 workers, including 140 food preparers and delivery personnel employed directly by Dejbox, which according to the retailer is a factor that sets the company apart from other meal delivery platforms that rely heavily on gig-economy workers.

As part of the Carrefour Group, Dejbox will be able to expand its French operations at a rapid pace and very quickly move into international markets as well.

Carrefour plans to speed Dejbox’s growth in B2B services, an important growth driver insofar as it lets companies assume a portion of the cost of employee lunches simply by transferring funds virtually to each employee’s online Dejbox account.

“This acquisition, which reflects Carrefour’s desire to become the leader in grocery ecommerce, is a strategic on,” says Amélie Oudéa-Castera, Executive Director Customers, Services and Digital Transformation at Carrefour.

“It will give us the opportunity to expand our customer base to include employees of medium-sized, small and micro businesses and also invest in the fast-growing food delivery segment with an offering rooted in quality and affordability.”

Dejbox co-founders Adrien Verhack and Vincent Dupied added; “We made the strategic decision to join with Carrefour because we firmly believe it’s the best possible partner for helping us achieve our ambitious growth plans for Dejbox.”