Ghop has decided to focus its business efforts on service stations. The Spanish startup is preparing the November openings of its smart stores in Madrid and is finalizing a financing round to develop its business model.
"One of the strategic decisions we have adopted is that we are going to focus our efforts on the service station market," Lino Monteagudo the co-founder of Ghop, said after analyzing the results of its first automated store, which opened as a pop-up store at the end of July in the Moraleja Green shopping center in Alcobendas (Madrid) .
Thus, his next smart establishment will see the light in an urban gas station in Madrid at the beginning of November, which will be followed by two more at the end of the same month.
"There are several service station companies that have already given their 'ok' to install our stores," says the manager, who clarifies that the expansion will focus on gas stations located in the center of cities and industrial estates, discarding, for the moment , open on roads.
"We will once again carry out some exceptional test, similar to that of Moraleja Green, in universities, transport stations or shopping centers, that is, outside the scope of service stations, but the real focus of growth is in this sector", he adds Linen Monteagudo. "It is the perfect gateway to the market due to the capillarity of its service," he remarks.
In fact, the company highlights that the results of the pilot experience in July are adapted to those of a gas station. “Our average ticket was 3.80 euros, with a standard basket that exceeded the two products. Extrapolating it a bit, it is similar to the average of a service station ", maintains the manager.
Regarding the negotiations that Ghop has had with other food distributors to create collaborations, the cofounder of the startup is cautious: “We do not rule out alliances with retailers , but it is true that right now, we have to start placing the stores, which we are known more and see what we are capable of doing ”.
In this sense, the technology company is negotiating partnerships with distribution and logistics companies that already have experience in retail with other chains. "We want to create a solid regional structure, especially at the logistical level, and establish a control group to scale," says Monteagudo.
The new stores will incorporate some technological evolutions with respect to the Moraleja Green pilot. “There are certain elements that will change. We will advance in the registration and verification of users by requesting their mobile number, in addition to email, ”says the manager, who adds that, before the end of the year, tests will also be carried out requesting the DNI and optimizing the payment methods.
“Right now we are preparing the company to grow. We are committed to attracting talent, increasing the team and finalizing a financing round that we anticipate will open in mid-October ”, confirms Lino Monteagudo.
The investor profile that Ghop is looking for is mixed: on the one hand, a professional investor; and on the other, investment open to the public with an acceptable minimum ticket.
Their forecasts point to raising between 400,000 and 700,000 euros in this financing process. "We are also contemplating the possibility of doing a smaller initial round and a few months later to carry out a larger one," adds the co-founder of the firm.
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