A fast-growing British grocery delivery app has struck a deal to back the Champions’ League winners, Chelsea, in an attempt to differentiate itself in an intensely crowded market.

Sky News understands that Zapp, which is backed by a syndicate of global technology investors, will announce on Tuesday that it has become Chelsea’s official European on-demand convenience and grocery delivery partner.

The deal will be unusually prominent for such an early-stage company, but will underline the importance of capturing market share in the booming rapid groceries sector.

Investors have poured billions of dollars this year alone into companies including Getir, Gorillas and GoPuff.

Many of the new services promise to deliver groceries and other products in half an hour or less – but have prompted concerns about how much of the capital raised will ultimately be lost as a wave of consolidation takes hold.

Other players in the UK rapid grocery sector include Dija and Weezy, both of which have reportedly examined selling themselves or raising new funding in recent months.

Zapp counts Atomico and Lightspeed Ventures – two of the biggest names in global tech investing – among its shareholders.

The company operates dozens of what it refers to as Zappstores – locations from which customer orders are picked – across cities including London, Manchester and Amsterdam.

Its partnership with Chelsea will be launched with stadium advertising at Stamford Bridge, the club’s home, and a debut television ad campaign.

Zapp’s association with the Premier League club will include Chelsea’s women’s and academy teams, and will be activated through a number of promotions aimed at fans.

The app was founded in London last year. by Joe Falter and Navid Hadzaad, and promises to deliver grocery and other essential items to customers’ doorsteps within 20 minutes, around the clock.

Zapp declined to comment on Monday.

Related posts:

Businesses plead for taxpayer aid to be extended in line with Freedom Day delay Why Shell could be making $10bn exit from US shale operations Businesses face ‘confusing and contradictory advice’ about reopening Virgin Atlantic hunts new chairman as London listing plan takes flight UK insurance execs line up Qataris to back £200m London-listed SPAC Fraud detection tech firm Ravelin hires bankers to explore sale Bitter taste for Wetherspoons as COVID cautious older customers stay away Halfords sees supply chain issues start to ease – after cycling sales fall 25% AstraZeneca, Toshiba, and happy staff Amazon and Spotify mull bids for London-listed podcaster Audioboom Ukraine impact and the Super Bowl Wage growth, record fuel prices and a virtual fashion week