Thirstie acquires DrinkFly, and Drizly pushes into Canada as the alcohol on-demand market expands.

One alcohol delivery service acquired another, while a separate alcohol delivery app planted its icon in another country for the first time.

Thirstie Inc., a two-year-old alcohol delivery service that serves 20 markets throughout North America and allows shoppers to order booze via Apple iOS or Android apps or its website, has acquired competitor Drink Fly LLC for an undisclosed price. Like Thirstie, DrinkFly customers can order their alcoholic beverages for delivery through an app on iOS or Android, plus its website. DrinkFly is available in five markets in four states with the bulk of its business in its home market of Chicago.

DrinkFly says it has more than doubled its month-over-month growth (55%) in Chicago. Meanwhile, Thirstie says its free app is downloaded an average of 30,000 times a month in the iTunes store.

“Because of Thirstie’s experience in the market, we are confident the transition will be seamless for DrinkFly users, with the same great service, delivery time and fee structure they’ve become accustomed to from DrinkFly,” Thirstie founder and CEO Devaraj Southworth says.

While Thirstie has a presence in Canada—Ottawa and Toronto—competitor Drizly is taking aim at a previously untapped market in Western Canada.

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Boston-based Drizly Inc. said it will expand into Edmonton, Alberta, its first international market and its 18th overall. It will work with Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd., which operates more than 250 liquor stores throughout North America.

“This partnership marks a major milestone in our company’s young history, and we look forward to making this service available to Edmonton residents, especially in these colder months,” Drizly CEO and co-founder Nick Rellas says.

According to CrunchBase, Drizly has raised $17.75 million in funding across four rounds. That figure includes a $13 million Series A round lead by Polaris Partners that closed in May.

For more on the alcohol on-demand market, check out “Tapping into convenience” from the January 2016 issue of Internet Retailer magazine

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