Cape Town-based online retailer Takealot.com has acquired 60% of Mr Delivery — recently rebranded as Mr D — for an undisclosed sum.

Over the past year, Mr D has established itself as a delivery vehicle for online orders through a partnership with Takealot.

Mr D has traditionally focused on fast-food deliveries but is expanding its focus on non-food logistics.

Takealot was already a minority shareholder in a Mr D subsidiary. “We are very happy with the level of service provided to us by Mr D over the course of the last year, so happy in fact that we have decided to invest further and secure a meaningful stake in the business” says CEO Kim Reid.

Mr D delivers between 85 000 and 100 000 items per month across 49 franchises with 800 drivers nationally until 10pm at night.

Its MD, David Chait, says the investment from Takealot — the value of the deal has not been disclosed — will allow Mr D to focus on its goal of becoming the “best in business-to-consumer last-mile delivery”.

“We specialise in providing business-to-consumer deliveries, while allowing the customer to select their preferred time of day to have their goods delivered,” Chait says. “Takealot.com will help us scale our technology appropriately and assist in developing the tools and services required to take the business to a new level.”