Uber has agreed to acquire Germany's Delivery Hero for $14.8bn (£10.7bn/€12.6bn), a deal that would create one of the world's largest food delivery groups by combining Uber Eats with Delivery Hero's brands across 99 countries. The tie-up reflects a wider consolidation trend in the takeaway delivery sector, as companies chase the scale needed to cover heavy operating costs following the post-pandemic slowdown in demand, echoing similar recent takeovers by DoorDash and Prosus.

Uber will pay €41.50 per share, with $13.7bn due after accounting for the roughly quarter stake it already holds. Delivery Hero's operations in 14 markets where Uber is already strong, including Glovo, foodora and Yemeksepeti, will instead be sold separately for $1.6bn to private equity firm SSW Partners, helping to ease competition concerns. Uber says it will keep Delivery Hero's Berlin headquarters, freeze workforce changes until 2029, and invest €2bn in Germany, with the deal expected to close in the second half of 2027; Delivery Hero does not operate in the UK.