A maxi operation on the definition route is playing on the England-US axis. Deliveroo In fact, it could become the next British company to be acquired by an American company. Doordash, a San Francisco company specialized in delivery of food at home, presented an indicative offer of 2.7 billion pounds To detect Deliveroo, listed on the London Stock Exchange since 2021 with an initial evaluation of 7.6 billion pounds. Even if it is an operation between private individuals, it goes without saying that the acquisition would strengthen the American presence in Europe in the delivery sector, in which it is already very strong.
An increasingly coveted sector
According to the “Financial Times”, the negotiation is part of a phase of rapid consolidation of the home deliveries market. At the beginning of 2025, Prosus closed an agreement from 4.1 billion euros For the acquisition of the Just Eat Takeaway group, European leader in the sector.
Deliveroo, founded by Will Shu in 2013, landed on the stock exchange with a highly anticipated hypothesis, which however proved disappointing: the actions lost more than a quarter of their value on the first day of bargaining. In the following years, the company had to face a growing competition, in particular after the launch of Uber Eats in the United Kingdom in 2016 and Amazon’s entry into the food deliveries market.
The figures of the deal
Deliveroo declared in a note that “would be willing to recommend” the offer of Doordash, which provides for a payment of 1.80 pounds per action. According to sources close to the question, the first contacts between the two companies date back to last summer. At the moment the negotiations are underway even if, as specified by Deliveroo in a press release, there is no certainty that a definitive agreement is reached.
The offer proposed by Doordash implies a premium of more than 20% compared to the closing price of the deliveroo shares recorded on Friday. According to the British legislation on acquisitions, Doordash will have to formalize an offer by 23 May.
Doordash aims at the European market
Founded in 2013 by Tony Xu, Dodordash currently operates in over 30 countries. In 2024 he recorded a turnover of 10.7 billion dollars. The main markets of the company are the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, areas that do not overlap with those in which Deliveroo is active.
This geographical difference reduces the risk of interventions by antitrust authorities. Deliveroo, in fact, is operational in 9 countries and, last month, announced the first complete annual profit in its history.
In February, Deliveroo denied some speculations regarding a possible release of Will Shu from the office of CEO in 2025. The company confirmed that Shu remains “relentlessly focused on the long -term future” of the company.
