The Bengaluru-based firm is now targeting Rs 1,800 crore in revenue for FY27, driven by repeat consumption and expansion across micro markets in key cities.
Delightful Gourmet Pvt., which operates Licious, is opening more brick-and-mortar stores, speeding up deliveries to take on quick commerce rivals
Licious said the company’s focus has shifted to owned channels, as a result of which revenue was dragged down from modern trade and local stores.
As part of the acquisition, Licious will have an additional 22 physical stores which will give it an edge over industry peers like Zepto, Tata BigBasket and help it compete closely with legacy players like Venkys, Nandus and others.
Relish’s monthly sales were in the Rs 12-15 crore range from April to September which translates to an annualised revenue run rate (ARR) of Rs 144-180 crore, in contrast to Zepto’s recent comments on the vertical being a Rs 500 crore business, per internal documents accessed by Moneycontrol.
Founders of top new age brands at the Moneycontrol Startup Conclave noted that while online presence is crucial for discovery and initial engagement, the physical experience is essential for building trust and scaling in certain categories.
For its next phase of growth, Licious will focus on the ready-to-eat category and open more offline stores. It plans to open 40 stores by the end of the current fiscal.
Started less than six months back, Relish is already clocking Rs 150 crore in annual recurring revenue. The brand can be a Rs 1,000-crore business in 18-24 months, according to the company.
The development comes months after Moneycontrol reported that the Bengaluru-based unicorn had seen its revenues stagnate while its monthly cash burn remained unchanged.
To be sure, most of Licious’ costs were either higher or were largely unchanged on a year-on-year (YoY) basis.
While Licious’ monthly cash burn dropped in some months, it has also seen a spike in the other, remaining largely in the Rs 22-26 crore range so far in FY24.