TORONTO, CANADA - Grocery is gaining a fresh and fierce competitor after Uber confirmed its new Toronto-based engineering hub will help it expand its grocery plans. According to a report by The Star, the rideshare company’s new facility will help it develop its grocery business, product offerings, and go-to-market strategy.

“The Toronto tech office is going to build software that is going to be used by Uber worldwide,” engineering hub Site Lead Kare Kjelstrom said to The Star. “We are creating a synergy effect…and opportunity here…”

The new location, which is Uber’s first engineering-centric hub in Canada, will consist of the top five floors of 121 Bloor St. E. The site is expected to initially employ 200 workers, but this number will eventually increase to 400.

While the details of Uber’s foray into grocery haven’t been particularly forthcoming in the past couple of months, Kjelstrom did confirm to The Star that the Toronto office will focus on Uber’s grocery plans. However, those are the only details he disclosed, declining to reveal who Uber will source its products from and which grocery chains it will partner with.

“It is something we will have more about relatively soon. We are still hiring for the team and ramping it up,” he said. “We are investigating various opportunities, figuring out what markets we go to first, and who will be our partners in the space.”

Will Uber tap any of grocery’s biggest names as it continues into this retail sector? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep an eye on any and all grocery developments.

Uber