Chaldal, the leading online grocery startup in the country, has launched and started delivering in Chattogram, the second-largest city in Bangladesh, says a press release sent to Future Startup. The portal went live on the evening of 9 March 2021 and the Chaldal team made its first delivery at 8:30 AM of the following day.
Mr. Mizanur Rahman, a resident of the GEC area of the city, was the first customer for Chaldal in Chattogram. To mark this feat, the Chaldal team celebrated with Rahman’s family by cutting a cake at their home at the time of delivery. Zia Ashraf, Founder & COO of Chaldal, accompanied the team for the first couple of deliveries as well.
As a part of their nationwide expansion plans, we reported earlier at FS, Chaldal started field research at Chattogram in January 2021. Chattogram has long been considered to be the most important trade city of Bangladesh. The consumption habits of Chattogram residents are different from that of Dhaka city dwellers and, therefore require a much deeper understanding of the lifestyle in the port city.
“We’re taking it as a serious learning experience and we have to use all of our wisdom to make it happen”, Waseem Alim, Founder & CEO of Chaldal, stated in a note to the Chaldal team. “This is one big step to decentralize our core processes and I’m sure our expansion to the next city or country will be much easier if we can make it work”, he added.
Chaldal has launched 3 warehouses across Chattogram city. A full-fledged logistics team is already in place to ensure one-hour delivery within the delivery areas.
“Chattogram has always been a special place to me and I’m overwhelmed that Chaldal is finally here. It was a long pending to-do item in our list”, Zia Ashraf commented. “I hope this awesome community will allow us to make their life a bit easier. We’re ready to hear any feedback that can help us serve our customers better”.
With the addition of the three establishments in Chattogram, Chaldal now has a network of 23 warehouses across 3 cities. Previously, Chaldal expanded coverage to Narayanganj amid the coronavirus pandemic in November 2020. The company says it has experienced excellent growth in the city. The company plans to begin operations in Jashore next.
