Uber Technologies Inc plans to roll out its delivery business into seven new European countries this year, as tech groups ramp up their efforts in the multibillion-euro food-delivery market, the Financial Times reported yesterday.
The US-based company will launch services in markets including Czech Republic, Greece and Romania as part of a move it hopes would deliver an additional US$1 billion in gross bookings over the next three years, the report said.
Uber global head of delivery Susan Anderson told the newspaper it was time to “raise the bar, shake things up and deliver better value across the category.”
Photo: Reuters
The move will also see penetration into Austria, Denmark, Finland and Norway, the report said.
Uber did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Earlier last week, Uber agreed to acquire the delivery arm of Turkey’s Getir from Emirati-controlling shareholder Mubadala Investment Co to expand its Turkish footprint.
The deal spans Getir’s entire delivery portfolio, including food, grocery, retail and water, Uber said in a statement on Monday last week. Uber would acquire the food delivery portion of the business for US$335 million in cash, the company said in a regulatory filing. It would also take a 15 percent stake in the remaining grocery, retail and water delivery portfolio for US$100 million, and plans to buy the rest in the “next few years” if it meets certain performance milestones, it said.
The Getir deal solidifies Uber’s ambitions to expand in a populous country with a growing middle class. Uber agreed to buy a US$700 million stake in another Turkish delivery app, Trendyol Go, in May last year.
“With a thriving digital economy and a dynamic consumer base, Uber is committed to investing in Turkiye for the long term,” Uber chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in the statement.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
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