DoorDash completes £2.9bn Deliveroo takeover in UK expansion

DoorDash has officially arrived in the UK following the completion of its £2.9 billion takeover of Deliveroo, sanctioned this week by the High Court.

At a hearing on Tuesday, Sir Alastair Norris described the deal as “entirely straightforward” and confirmed he was “happy to sanction” the acquisition. The London-based company agreed to the deal in May, with the move now taking effect today (Thursday 2 October). The takeover creates a combined group with operations in 40 countries and handling around $90 billion (£67.7 billion) of orders annually.

Deliveroo, founded in 2013, generated sales of around £2 billion in 2024 and employs more than 138,000 riders worldwide. Staff who collectively hold about 36 million shares are set to share a £65 million payout after DoorDash agreed to buy the London-listed business at 180p per share.

San Francisco-headquartered DoorDash, co-founded by chief executive Tony Xu in 2013, already operates in more than 30 countries, delivering 2.5 billion orders last year and generating revenues of $10.7 billion (£8 billion). The company has not previously competed in Deliveroo’s markets, making the takeover a strategic entry into the UK and Europe.

Open letter from the DoorDash CEO

In an open letter, Xu reassured stakeholders that little would change in the short term.

The Deliveroo app and products you know and love aren’t going anywhere. You’ll still be able to order your favourites, run your businesses, or work and earn on the platform as you do today.”

He stressed that the focus would be on building on Deliveroo’s existing strengths rather than overhauling them.

What excites me is not changing what works, but building on it together. For merchant partners, our vision is to help businesses on the High Street not just succeed, but flourish.”

Xu also pledged that consumers would benefit from “greater selection, higher quality, better affordability, and additional ways to connect with the local merchants you love”. For riders, he promised to protect flexibility while adding “better mapping and new support and protections to make delivering easier, safer, and more secure”.

The acquisition represents a major shift in the food delivery landscape, bringing one of the world’s largest operators into direct competition with Just Eat, Uber Eats and other UK players. Analysts say the deal underlines the growing consolidation of the sector as companies seek scale and efficiency in an increasingly competitive market.

Xu positioned the takeover as both continuity and growth:

This is the beginning of a new chapter, not the end of an old one. Deliveroo’s DNA – its customer obsession and relentless pursuit to improve the experience of consumers, merchants, and riders – remains the same. By combining that with DoorDash’s global scale and technology, we have the opportunity to serve more people, in more places, with greater impact.”