Moscow, 16 April 2026 – X5 (MOEX: X5), a leading Russian food retailer, has launched a pilot service to deliver hot food from its own dark stores. The new format enhances the combined shopping experience by enabling customers to add hot meals to their main grocery cart and receive the entire order in a single delivery.
The project is currently being tested at several locations in Moscow. Meals are prepared immediately before delivery to customers, with an average execution time of 30 minutes. The pilot assortment includes the most popular fast-food categories, such as burgers, hot dogs, rolls, sandwiches, pizza, breakfast items, hot snacks, and beverages, totalling 82 SKUs. In the mobile apps of the Pyaterochka and Perekrestok retail chains, the hot food delivery offering is featured in a dedicated storefront called Lots of Hot Food.
The project enables the Company to expand its presence in the category that remains the largest segment of the ready-to-eat food delivery market. By mid-year, an additional eight locations in Moscow will join the pilot, and by the end of 2026, the number of participating sites is expected to increase several-fold. The project is also planned to have a wider geography over time. As the project rolls out, the assortment is set to expand, and the value proposition will be adapted to different consumption scenarios.
The project is being carried out using X5 Digital’s existing infrastructure. This approach enables the Company to scale this new direction with minimal additional investment while leveraging its current logistics network.
“The pilot confirms strong demand for this model, with customers ordering hot meals as a standalone option as part of their primary grocery basket. For X5 Digital, this is an opportunity to expand our offering in a fast-growing category and leverage our dark store infrastructure for a new customer scenario. The next stage is phased scaling of the project with an expanded geography and assortment,” said Anton Pakhomov, CCO at X5 Digital.