Motatos - the E-commerce Retailer Fighting Food Waste - Exits the UK
Today, the e-commerce retailer Motatos announces its decision to consolidate the business to the DACH and the Nordic regions, and exit the UK market with immediate effect.
Matsmart-Motatos, the Swedish-based D2C e-commerce business tackling global food waste, sells food and consumer products at low prices to price and sustainability conscious customers online. Today, the company announces its exit from the UK market.
Motatos CEO Peter Beckius comments: It was not an easy decision to exit the UK market, especially in light of the positive reception we've had from customers and partners. As the market situation looks now however, it is extremely difficult to finance greenfield investments. Therefore, we have decided to put all our focus on developing our DACH and Nordic markets where we have a longer presence. We still have a lot of untapped potential in those regions and financial profitability within reach.
Since launching into the UK in the summer of 2022, Motatos has recirculated over 1000 tonnes of food and consumer products and built up a fan base of tens of thousands of British consumers.
Peter Beckius continues: A business cannot exist without talented people and we want to take this opportunity to thank everyone that was involved in the launch into the UK. I am very impressed by the team’s performance throughout this journey. We encountered many passionate people who shared our mission: to make a positive impact on the planet by fighting food waste.
All outstanding orders to UK customers will be delivered and remaining stock in Motatos’ warehouse will be sold to a third party retailer, Discount Dragon, part of the Huddled Group, to ensure nothing goes to waste.
Peter Beckius concludes: As a zero waste business, it is of course important to us to make sure that the food and household products we have in stock will not be discarded, but find their way to the market and eventually peoples’ homes. We also leave hoping that the UK food sector will keep working towards zero waste. It is an important battle to win, for the planet and for peoples’ wallets.
Hanna Thofelt Lindström
Head of Communications and Impact
+46763161207
hanna.thofelt.lindstrom@motatos.com
About Motatos
Matsmart-Motatos was set up in Sweden in 2014, in response to the global issue of food loss and waste. Approximately one-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
Matsmart-Motatos allows consumers to purchase food, grocery, and general household items which would otherwise risk being thrown away by FMCG producers. Factors such as overproduction, incorrect packaging, seasonal trends, and short expiry dates all contribute to a surplus of items which cannot be sold in time. Matsmart-Motatos saves these products, selling them at low-cost to consumers online, and delivering directly to customers’ doorsteps. The Matsmart-Motatos assortment range is wide and varied, ranging from popular pantry items such as breads and jams, to beauty and health products, pet foods, and games and toys. Since founding, Matsmart-Motatos has raised around 120 MEUR in capital and saved over 60,000 tonnes of food and consumer products.
