Careem, the ride-hailing company, is partnering with a number of stores in Dubai to expand its online retail services.

The company, which was acquired by Uber last year, will be partnering with retail outlets including Al Maya, Aswaaq, Grandiose, Lulu Hypermarket and Emirates Co-op, among others, Careem said in a statement on Monday.

It is also tying up with Nescafe Dulce Gusto, Ikea, The PetShop, The Butcher Shop & Grill, as well as a number of pharmacies across the emirate.

“As part of our continued promise to simplify everyday life, Shops will provide a wider range of offerings and more merchants, ensuring our customers’ needs are answered in a timely and efficient manner,” Bassel Al Nahlaoui, managing director, mobility at Careem UAE, said.

Online shopping became more popular after governments around the world introduced movement restrictions to stop the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

E-commerce sales in the Mena region are set to triple to $28.5 billion next year from $8.3bn in 2017, according to research by Bain & Company and Google.

The ride hailing company has been broadening its services since launching a ‘Super App’ in April last year offering a range of complementary services including bike rentals, food and grocery delivery and digital payments. It introduced a Dh39 per month subscription tier for the app in April this year.