Publicly listed MPPA, which operates the Hypermart chain, announced on Tuesday that it would raise capital to invest in an “omnichannel retail strategy” and increase its market share. PT Multipolar, a subsidiary of Lippo Group and an existing MPPA shareholder, would also participate in the funding.

Part of GoTo Group, Gojek already owns a nearly 5 percent stake in MPPA in a deal made through affiliate PT Pradipa Darpa Bangsa in May.

“We are excited that the company has secured the capital raise and look forward to continuing to execute our plan and innovate for the Indonesian consumer,” MPPA chief executive Elliot Dickson said in a press statement.

The company said it had been able to capitalize on the pandemic-fueled rise in e-grocery shopping and had seen online sales more than quadruple over the past year.

MPPA booked a Rp 91.5 billion loss in the first half of the year, better than the Rp 219.3 billion loss it recorded over the same period last year. It also saw its revenue decline 3.4 percent year-on-year (yoy) to Rp 3.5 trillion in the first half.

Despite a lackluster financial performance, MPPA’s online sales increased as a percentage of total sales during the COVID-19 pandemic, and it aims to have 15 percent of its total sales in 2021 come from online channels. 

Last year, MPPA corporate secretary and public relations director Danny Kojongian said online sales made up around 8 percent of the company’s total sales. Prior to the pandemic, he said, online sales made up no more than 0.1 percent of the company’s total sales.

MPPA has been expanding its online presence by adding some of its supermarket chains to e-commerce firm Tokopedia’s platform. As of June, MPPA had 95 virtual stores from several brands on Tokopedia, including Foodmart, Hyfresh, Hypermart and Primo.

Read also: Matahari continues online integration with Tokopedia

A recent survey by management consulting company Redseer found that most consumers had started using online grocery services under COVID-19 mobility restrictions and that the majority would continue buying groceries online after the pandemic.

The firm also predicted that the gross merchandise value (GMV) of the country’s online grocery segment would reach US$13 billion by 2025, amounting to a 51 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from only $7 million in 2018.

E-commerce platforms and venture capital firms have been scrambling to invest in offline grocery businesses. Blibli recently announced it would acquire PT Supra Boga Lestari, the entity behind Ranch Market.

Read also: VCs pour funds into burgeoning e-grocery segment

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