Food delivery companies in Singapore have been looking for ways to increase their profit margins in a competitive market, and Foodpanda, one of the early entrants in the business here, is the latest to make its move.

It announced yesterday that it will be expanding its delivery services to include groceries, household items and even flowers.

This comes after experts said food delivery firms, which include Deliveroo and GrabFood, have to be savvy in how they expand and structure their business models.

Delivery firms said there is still room for growth, as Singaporeans continue to show an appetite for online food delivery services.

Foodpanda said it has partnered more than 1,000 retailers nationwide, and customers can now order convenience goods, groceries, and beauty and baby care products.

These items can be delivered to their doorsteps in 25 minutes or less. They include groceries from Hao Mart; cheese, fresh and canned fish, and fresh herbs from The Fishwives; snacks and batteries from Caltex Star Mart; and traditional Chinese medicine remedies from Eu Yan Sang.

Others are bouquets from shops such as LilasBlooms or Toki, and mother and baby products from Mothercare on-demand.

Customers can also buy alcohol through brands such as TigerNow, Wine Connection and The B.I.G Wine Company.

Foodpanda Singapore managing director Luc Andreani said: "Over the past year, from the feedback we've received from our customers, it is clear that they want to enjoy even more convenience in their everyday lives... Our goal is to deliver what our customers need straight to their doors and save them time."

Foodpanda has been boosting its product and engineering teams by hiring 100 engineers in Singapore in the past three months to optimise back-end technology. It aims to hire up to 300 such staff by the year end.

The company, which is headquartered in Germany and has a presence in more than 40 countries, started in Singapore in 2012. It has more than 8,000 riders and over 7,000 restaurant partners here.