SINGAPORE – Residents in the north and north-east of Singapore can now get groceries like bananas and milk delivered to their doorstep within 30 minutes, starting from as early as 7am.
Express grocery delivery service RedMart Now, which was launched in February 2026, has expanded its delivery areas to serve residents in Punggol, Sengkang, Yishun and Woodlands.
The platform, which initially covered south-central and western Singapore, has also extended its operating hours to 7am to 10pm – from 10am to 9pm previously – based on feedback from customers who requested an earlier start to the service.
Orders made on RedMart Now incur a $3.99 service fee as well as a $5.99 shipping fee for orders under $30. The shipping fee is waived for orders above $30.
To keep up with demand, RedMart Now has increased its fleet of delivery vans and motorcycles by four times.
And to better reach customers in the additional areas served, online grocer RedMart opened a new fulfilment centre on Aug 20. There are also plans to expand the RedMart Now service to more areas and open more fulfilment centres.
Though the company declined to provide exact locations, these centres are situated close to residential areas and their sizes range between 3,000 and 5,000 sq ft. Site selection depends on factors such as government authority approvals, proximity to highway exits or entrances, connectivity points and demand in the area.
Martin Daney, senior vice-president and head of RedMart, said one of the company’s goals was to generate incremental business, and pointed to its expansion of fulfilment centres and fleet of delivery vehicles as a testament to that.
One of RedMart Now’s fulfilment centres.
PHOTO: REDMART
RedMart also said that orders have grown sixfold since the launch of its express grocery delivery service, without sharing specific figures.
Venkat Shankar, chief logistics officer for RedMart and Lazada Singapore, said: “Less than a year from launch, we are ready to go islandwide at some point before the end of 2026.
“We are getting strong support from our customers. When we open the store at 7am, we get a slew of orders by 7.01am.”
The orders on RedMart Now comprise more of products with a shorter shelf-life, such as fresh produce, dairy and chilled items. These are on top of customers’ usual RedMart orders of non-perishables like toilet paper, or food items with a longer shelf life, such as rice.
“In the past, customers would wait for a big RedMart order (to consolidate everything), but now, they’re using RedMart Now as a midweek top-up, where they can buy another fresh set of bananas or tomorrow’s steak,” said Daney.
A RedMart Now delivery motorbike. The service has expanded its fleet of delivery vehicles by four times to meet customer demand.
PHOTO: REDMART
Asked about the size of the RedMart Now investment, Venkat declined to share figures, but said the company has been investing in its Singapore fulfilment and logistics capabilities over the last several years. RedMart is owned and operated by Lazada, a subsidiary of the Alibaba Group.
Lazada bought RedMart in 2016 for a deal estimated to be about US$50 million.
For the quarter ended June 30, 2026, Alibaba reported a revenue of 268.95 billion yuan (S$50.82 billion), an increase of 9 per cent compared with the same period in 2025.
RedMart ranks number one in Singapore by daily customer reach and online grocery by gross merchandise value, said Venkat.
According to global market research firm Mordor Intelligence, Singapore’s quick commerce market size, which includes grocery deliveries, was valued at US$368 million (S$467 million) in 2025.
It is estimated to grow from US$388 million in 2026 to hit US$503 million by 2031, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.34 per cent during this period.
Venkat hinted that Lazada customers may soon be able to get more than just groceries delivered within 30 minutes, noting that RedMart’s logistics infrastructure and network can support more than just that.
“So as part of Lazada, this is an important investment we are making for the future,” he said.
Ultra-fast delivery, or quick commerce, where goods can be delivered in under an hour, is a huge market in China and India. It has not taken off in Singapore yet because Venkat believes the customers here are “not that needy yet”.
He also cites the high cost of such services here compared with in China or India. “There are three layers of cost in logistics: infrastructure, delivery fleet and human labour. In Singapore, these only keep going up. So for us to be able to find that sweet spot between ultra convenience and financial sustainability, it’s going to be a push and pull experiment.”
