Merqueo
Merqueo was a Colombian digital supermarket founded in 2017 that delivered groceries via proprietary dark-store infrastructure to consumers in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, raising approximately $107 million before ceasing operations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersBogotá, Colombia
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Merqueo does
Merqueo was a Colombian-founded digital supermarket platform established in 2017 that delivered groceries and household essentials directly to consumers in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil through proprietary dark-store fulfillment infrastructure. The company pursued an asset-heavy operating model in which it owned inventory, warehousing capacity, and last-mile delivery assets, positioning itself to build the largest dark-store network in Latin America. Revenue was generated through direct-to-consumer product margins on grocery sales, distributed across three Latin American metropolitan markets.
The company scaled primarily through venture and development-finance capital, raising approximately $107 million in cumulative funding including a $50 million Series C round in July 2021 led by IDC Ventures (A.GAIN), Digital Bridge, and IDB Invest, followed by a $22 million debt financing package from IDB Invest and Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital in May 2022. Expansion was concentrated in São Paulo, where Merqueo planned to invest $20 million in its first year to grow its dark-store footprint, while also maintaining operations in Bogotá and Mexico City. Planned headcount expansion exceeded 2,000 workers by 2025, with leadership under CEO Miguel McAllister.
According to a December 2025 analytical source, Merqueo ultimately failed with its asset-heavy ownership model, reportedly burning through 20-30% of cost base in a business operating on approximately 2% margins—a structure that contrasted unfavorably with platform/aggregation peers such as Rappi and iFood. The company's domain (merqueo.com) is currently parked, and operating status is reported as closed, with no public shutdown announcement disclosed in the available data.
Merqueo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Merqueo
- Legal name
- Merqueo
- Website
- https://merqueo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Merqueo was a Colombian digital supermarket founded in 2017 that delivered groceries via proprietary dark-store infrastructure to consumers in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil, raising approximately $107 million before ceasing operations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Merqueo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Grocery Delivery
- NAICS
- Supermarkets and Other Grocery Retailers (except Convenience Retailers) (44511), Food and Beverage Retailers (445), Retail Trade (44-45)
- SIC
- Retail-Grocery Stores (5411), Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961), Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Online Grocery Retailers (Inventory-led) (CRAFAFAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-commerce & Omnichannel Fulfillment Centers (Non-Temp Controlled) (TLALAAAC), Latin American & Caribbean Grocery Stores (CRAHAFAG), Online Grocery Retailers (Inventory-Holding) (AFAIAMAC)
Keywords
Where Merqueo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bogotá
- HQ country
- Colombia
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Merqueo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- E-grocery Sales: Direct consumer sales of groceries and household items through digital platform. Revenue generated from product margins on grocery sales to end consumers in Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Merqueo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Merqueo operated a direct-to-consumer digital supermarket that sold groceries and household essentials through its own e-commerce platform and fulfilled orders from a proprietary network of urban dark stores (micro-fulfillment centers) in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. The company owned its inventory, warehouses, and delivery infrastructure, providing rapid doorstep delivery of groceries and home essentials to urban consumers across Latin American metropolitan areas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Merqueo Online Grocery Delivery Service
Quantifiable outcome
- Plan to hire over 2,000 workers by 2025
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Merqueo
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Merqueo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Merqueo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Merqueo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Cornershop by Uber: LatAm-focused online grocery delivery service acquired by Uber. Comparable as a direct competitor in grocery delivery across Mexico, Brazil, and other LatAm markets using an asset-light shopper-based fulfillment model.
- Rappi: Latin American super-app offering on-demand grocery delivery in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. Directly comparable because it competes for the same e-grocery demand in Merqueo's three core markets, but uses a lighter platform/aggregation model.
- Jüsto: Mexican online grocery retailer that similarly pursued an asset-heavy inventory-owning model. Comparable to Merqueo in product category, target customer, and capital-intensive operating approach, and like Merqueo has faced significant scaling challenges.
Broad incumbents
- Uber Eats: Global on-demand delivery platform with grocery verticals in LatAm via the Cornershop acquisition. Comparable as a competing delivery channel for the same urban grocery demand Merqueo targeted.
- Amazon Fresh: Amazon's online grocery offering, relevant as a global benchmark for e-grocery unit economics and a potential strategic acquirer of dark store infrastructure in LatAm markets.
- Instacart: Largest North American online grocery delivery platform. Comparable as a benchmark e-grocery operating model — successfully scaled on an asset-light shopper network, in contrast to Merqueo's owned-infrastructure model.
- Didi Food / 99Food: Latin American delivery platforms operated by Didi. Comparable as adjacent delivery competitors in Brazil and Mexico that absorb on-demand food and grocery orders, representing the broader platform ecosystem that displaced asset-heavy players.
- Mercado Libre: Dominant LatAm e-commerce and marketplace operator with growing grocery and Mercado Fresco delivery lines in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia. Comparable because it addresses the same online grocery demand across Merqueo's geographies at scale.
Regional players
- iFood: Leading Brazilian food and grocery delivery platform backed by Prosus and Movile. Comparable because it competes with Merqueo's Brazilian grocery delivery offering in São Paulo and represents the dominant platform/aggregation model that outperformed Merqueo's asset-heavy approach.
Emerging players
- Freshmart: Colombian on-demand grocery delivery startup operating in Bogotá. Comparable as a direct local competitor in Merqueo's home market using a lighter-asset model.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Merqueo social profiles
Digital presenceMerqueo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Merqueo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Merqueo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Merqueo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Merqueo
What does Merqueo do?
Merqueo operated a direct-to-consumer digital supermarket that sold groceries and household essentials through its own e-commerce platform and fulfilled orders from a proprietary network of urban dark stores (micro-fulfillment centers) in Colombia, Mexico, and Brazil. The company owned its inventory, warehouses, and delivery infrastructure, providing rapid doorstep delivery of groceries and home essentials to urban consumers across Latin American metropolitan areas.
Is Merqueo a public or private company?
Merqueo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently closed.
When was Merqueo founded?
Merqueo was founded in 2017. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Merqueo based?
Merqueo is headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, in the Latin America region.
How does Merqueo make money?
One revenue line is on record: E-grocery Sales.
Who are Merqueo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Cornershop by Uber, Rappi and Jüsto. Broad incumbents are Uber Eats, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, Didi Food / 99Food and Mercado Libre. iFood is listed as a regional player. Freshmart is listed as an emerging player.
Does Merqueo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Merqueo.
What industry is Merqueo in?
Merqueo's product category is Online Grocery Delivery. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAFAE, Online Grocery Retailers (Inventory-led), with a secondary code of TLALAAAC, E-commerce & Omnichannel Fulfillment Centers (Non-Temp Controlled). Its NAICS code is 44511 and its SIC code is 5411.