How Are Prosus and DoorDash Reshaping Food Delivery?

Two acquisitions are set to alter the competitive dynamics of the food and quick commerce sectors.

The moves involve Prosus declaring its offer for Just Eat Takeaway (JET) and DoorDash finalising its acquisition of Deliveroo, indicating a new phase of consolidation and technological ambition in the industry.

These transactions are reshaping the global competitive environment and could trigger fresh regulatory examination across Europe, North America and beyond.

With the restaurant delivery market alone estimated by one Statista summary at US$156.75bn in 2024, the stakes are considerable.

Consolidation in food and quick commerce

The acquisition of Deliveroo by DoorDash establishes an expanded entity with operations in over 40 countries and a user base of approximately 50 million active consumers.

In a statement, Tony Xu, Chief Executive Officer of DoorDash, confirmed that Deliveroo's application will remain operational.

"The Deliveroo app and products you know and love aren’t going anywhere," Tony explained, noting the intention is to better serve consumers, merchants and riders on a global scale.

This move creates a formidable international player in the on-demand delivery space.

In a parallel development, Prosus has successfully acquired control of JET with 90.13% of its shares tendered or committed. The settlement for this deal is expected on 6 October.

Jitse Groen, Chief Executive Officer of JET, commented on the development.

“As the tender offer has now been made unconditional, I would like to congratulate Fabricio and his team on the acquisition," Jitse says.

"We are looking forward to working with our new owner to accelerate growth, and are excited about building a bright future together.”

Fabricio Bloisi, Chief Executive Officer of Prosus, shared his perspective on the acquisition.

“I’m very pleased with the outcome of the tender offer, and excited to welcome JET to the Prosus ecosystem," Fabricio adds.

"JET has a solid foundation, but for Prosus the hard work starts now. Our goal is to act quickly to transform JET through a focus on product, customer and innovation, creating a true European tech champion that will reshape the future of food delivery.”

Strategic changes beyond food delivery

These acquisitions point to a broader strategic trend of consolidation across the e-commerce and food delivery markets.

By creating fewer, larger organisations, companies can pursue greater operating efficiencies and accelerate paths to profitability.

The strategy also involves expanding platform services beyond restaurant meals into adjacent verticals such as groceries and retail.

DoorDash has already been diversifying its service offerings, expanding into areas like restaurant reservations and automation.

This highlights a pivot towards creating a wider local-commerce infrastructure.

For its part, Prosus adds JET to an extensive portfolio that includes full ownership of Brazil’s iFood and minority holdings in Delivery Hero Meituan and Swiggy.

This positions Prosus to cultivate a Europe-based technology leader in food commerce and AI-driven logistics.

Navigating regulatory scrutiny

Increased scale and market concentration invariably invite regulatory attention.

The European Commission’s approval of the Prosus-JET transaction came with specific conditions designed to maintain a competitive market.

These stipulations include:

• Prosus must substantially reduce its stake in Delivery Hero to a very low level.
• Prosus cannot exercise voting rights on its remaining holding for a set period.
• Prosus must relinquish its board representation at Delivery Hero.
• Any future increases in its stake will be capped.

These measures are intended to prevent market coordination and preserve consumer choice.

The sector's evolution post-pandemic is now being defined by the pursuit of 'super-app' ambitions, precise local execution and sustained investment in artificial intelligence and logistics.

With these acquisitions, Prosus and DoorDash are now at the centre of this race, a position that could mean faster and more reliable services for consumers, provided that regulatory bodies can successfully guard against consolidation that harms market choice.