Delivery platform Deliveroo will launch a food procurement service for restaurants, to go live by the end of the year in the UAE, which will enable them to purchase cooking ingredients and supplies at reduced prices.

The new scheme, which Deliveroo has been trialling for over a year through facilitating deals, aims to save restaurants over 20% on their bills, with smaller independent restaurants saving up to 40% on ingredients, while also improving quality.

“Food Procurement is an exciting new service for restaurants, which will cut costs while raising the quality of ingredients. By using our size and scale to negotiate great prices, we can both simplify the procurement process and help independents and chains make big savings. Restaurants and their suppliers are the winners. This is great news for customers too, as restaurants cook with better quality ingredients,” says Ajay Lakhwani , VP of new business at Deliveroo.

The scheme saves restaurants money on ingredients including vegetables and meat, as well as cleaning supplies and packaging products. These savings help establishments boost their profits, and smaller restaurants expand.

According to Deliveroo, this is vital support for restaurants at a time when food costs have increased by as much as 50% in the last five years, typically making up 20-40% of an average restaurant’s sales. Moreover, it’s particularly impactful for smaller restaurants that don’t have the economies of scale of large restaurant groups.

A dedicated team operates the new service from Deliveroo’s London HQ. The programme will go live by the end of the year in Spain, France, UK and UAE.