Dutch Delivery Company Just Eat Takeaway Acquires Grubhub

Just Eat Takeaway beat out Uber, buys Grubhub for $7.3 billion

In an all-stock deal, Dutch food delivery company Just Eat Takeaway has bought Grubhub, giving the brand its first presence in North America. “I am excited that we can create the world’s largest food delivery business outside China,” Just Eat Takeaway’s chief executive, Jitse Groen, said in a statement. Previously, Uber had been in talks to buy Grubhub, which would have created the country’s largest food delivery company at a time when delivery has never been more popular.

Delivery has also never been more scrutinized, as local governments continue to crack down on third-party delivery fees, and require delivery services like Grubhub be more transparent about their fee structure. The New York Times also notes that while delivery seems omnipresent, its popularity has not necessarily led to profits, and that Grubhub specifically has lost money in attempts to compete with rivals. Grubhub has also been accused of shady business practices, whether it’s offering deliveries from restaurants it has not partnered with, or creating “shadow pages” that compete with restaurants’ actual websites. And while no deal with Uber means less consolidation of the American delivery platform market, none of these transactions are likely to fix the problems of exploitation in delivery and the gig economy.

And in other news...

• Matt Duckor, the vice president of Condé Nast and head of video at Bon Appétit, has left the company. Staffers said Duckor failed to include non-white people in video content, and old tweets of his featuring sexist and racist comments resurfaced. [BI]
• Starbucks plans to close 400 stores, and add pickup-only locations. [CNN]
• After seeing long lines of voters in Georgia, Jose Andres said he will set up food and restrooms around polling places. [Twitter]
• COVID-19 outbreaks are happening among farm workers. [Modern Farmer]

• All AM Intel Coverage [E]