Uber Eats to Acquire Delivery Hero’s foodpanda Delivery Business in Taiwan

Rhea-AI Summary

Uber Technologies (NYSE: UBER) is set to acquire Delivery Hero's foodpanda operations in Taiwan for $950 million in cash. This acquisition, one of Taiwan's largest international deals, will merge Uber Eats' and foodpanda's consumer bases, providing significant value by creating a single app for users. The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the first half of 2025. Additionally, Uber will purchase $300 million in newly issued shares of Delivery Hero. Post-acquisition, the integration aims to enhance the consumer, merchant, and delivery partner experience in Taiwan.

Positive

• Uber to acquire foodpanda Taiwan for $950 million in cash, highlighting investment confidence.
• Deal valued at one of Taiwan's largest international acquisitions.
• Uber will also purchase $300 million in newly issued shares of Delivery Hero, strengthening ties.
• Potential for improved consumer experience through combined resources and app integration.
• Enhanced earnings opportunities for delivery partners.
• Uber's existing presence in Taiwan can build upon foodpanda's developed operations.
• Greater choice for consumers across food types and price points.
• Deal emphasizes Taiwan's attractiveness for international investments.

Negative

• Acquisition subject to regulatory approval, which could delay or affect deal completion.
• Operational transitions might disrupt service temporarily during integration phase.
• Potential short-term financial strain on Uber due to the $950 million outlay.

Financial Analyst

The acquisition of foodpanda Taiwan by Uber for $950 million in cash, along with the additional $300 million in newly issued shares of Delivery Hero, signifies a substantial investment in the Taiwanese market. This move aligns with Uber's strategic aim to fortify its presence in Asia and comes at a time when the online food delivery sector is experiencing rapid growth. The synergistic effect of combining both companies' resources and consumer bases could lead to increased market share and operational efficiencies.

Short-term implications: The immediate impact might be an increase in Uber’s stock price due to investor confidence in the expanded market presence. However, the success of integration, as well as regulatory approval, are potential risks to monitor. Long-term implications: If successfully integrated, Uber could see significant revenue growth from the enhanced consumer base and optimized delivery operations. Additionally, the acquisition might set a precedent for further consolidation in the sector, which could benefit Uber through improved scale and market reach.

Market Research Analyst

From a market perspective, this acquisition is particularly noteworthy as it highlights Taiwan's growing attractiveness for international investors and companies. The deal combining Uber's operational expertise with foodpanda's established local presence suggests a strategic move to dominate the Taiwanese food delivery market. This could lead to a shift in competitive dynamics, potentially pressuring other local and international players to reassess their positions and strategies.

The consolidation of consumer bases from two major players can offer greater variety and convenience for users, which may lead to increased order frequency and customer loyalty. For merchants, the unified platform can translate into more significant order volumes, although they might also face increased commission rates. The deal's success will largely depend on Uber's ability to seamlessly integrate foodpanda's operations without alienating existing users and partners.

Legal Expert

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, which could be a critical factor considering the size of the deal. Antitrust authorities will closely examine whether the acquisition could lead to an unfair market advantage or monopolistic practices. Any delays or conditions imposed by regulators could impact the deal's timeline and overall feasibility.

In the short term, regulatory scrutiny might create uncertainty for investors, potentially affecting stock prices. However, assuming the deal passes regulatory hurdles, it can significantly benefit both companies through enhanced market reach and operational synergies. It's also important for Uber to ensure compliance with local regulations and customary closing conditions to avoid legal pitfalls that could derail the acquisition.

• Acquisition brings together the companies’ complementary merchant, delivery partner, and consumer bases into a single app, creating significant value
• Deal is one of the largest-ever international acquisitions in Taiwan, highlighting its attractiveness for companies and investors

SAN FRANCISCO & BERLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) and Delivery Hero SE (FSE: DHER) have reached an agreement for Uber to acquire Delivery Hero’s foodpanda delivery business in Taiwan for $950 million in cash. The acquisition of foodpanda Taiwan is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions and is targeted to close in the first half of 2025. Separately, the companies have also entered into an agreement for Uber to purchase $300 million in newly issued ordinary shares of Delivery Hero.

Until closing, Delivery Hero is dedicated to continue operating foodpanda Taiwan as before, offering the best possible service for its customers and vendors. In the period following closing, foodpanda’s local consumers, merchants, and delivery partners will be transitioned to Uber Eats.

Due to its existing presence in Taiwan, Uber is best placed to build upon the significant local operations developed by Delivery Hero and foodpanda over the past years, and invest further into an improved experience for consumers, merchants, and delivery partners.

Niklas Östberg, CEO and Co-Founder of Delivery Hero, said: “The strength of our Taiwanese business is a testament to the hard work of many teams over the last eight years. In order to build a world-leading service, we have come to the conclusion that we need to focus our resources on other parts of our global footprint, where we feel we can have the largest impact for customers, vendors and riders. This deal gives foodpanda an exciting runway in Taiwan and we wish them all the best in their next chapter.”

The deal will combine Uber’s global expertise in operating a high-efficiency marketplace with foodpanda’s extensive coverage across Taiwan and its relationships with beloved local brands. The deal will also give consumers greater choice across food types and price points by bringing the complementary groups of merchants on Uber Eats and foodpanda onto a combined platform.

For example, consumers stand to benefit from the combination of Uber’s wider selection across northern Taiwan and in major urban centers with foodpanda’s comparative strength in southern Taiwan and in smaller cities. Better service for consumers helps drive more orders from merchants, and more orders from merchants means more opportunities for delivery partners to earn.

Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Senior Vice President of Delivery at Uber, said: “Bringing together our distinct customer bases, merchant selections, and geographic footprints will allow us to deliver more choices and the best prices for consumers, stronger demand for restaurants, and more earnings opportunities for delivery partners. Taiwan is a fiercely competitive market, where online food delivery platforms today still represent just a small part of the food delivery landscape. We’re so excited about the opportunity to deliver even greater convenience and value that this transaction would unlock in the years ahead.”

Once completed, this deal would be one of the largest ever international acquisitions in Taiwan, outside of the semiconductor industry. Uber’s decision to commit to this considerable increase in its Taiwan investment is a concrete vote of confidence in the continued long-term attractiveness of Taiwan for international companies and investors.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding Uber’s future business expectations which involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results predicted, and reported results should not be considered as an indication of future performance. Forward-looking statements include all statements that are not historical facts and can be identified by terms such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “contemplate,” “continue,” “could,” “estimate,” “expect,” “hope,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “objective,” “ongoing,” “plan,” “potential,” “predict,” “project,” “should,” “target,” “will,” or “would” or similar expressions and the negatives of those terms. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Uber’s actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and other factors relate to, among others: risks and uncertainties related to the pending acquisition of foodpanda, including the failure to obtain, or delays in obtaining, required regulatory approvals, any reverse termination fee that may be payable in connection with any failure to close the transaction, the risk that such approvals may result in the imposition of conditions that could adversely affect Uber or the expected benefits of the proposed transaction, or the failure to satisfy any of the closing conditions to the proposed transaction on a timely basis or at all; costs, expenses or difficulties related to the acquisition of foodpanda; failure to realize the expected benefits and synergies of the proposed transaction in the expected timeframes or at all; the potential impact of the announcement, pendency or consummation of the proposed transaction on relationships with Uber’s and/or foodpanda’s employees, merchants, suppliers, delivery partners and other business partners; the risk of litigation or regulatory actions to Uber, Delivery Hero and/or foodpanda; inability to retain key personnel; changes in legislation or government regulations affecting Uber, Delivery Hero or foodpanda; and economic financial, social or political conditions that could adversely affect Uber, Delivery Hero, foodpanda or the proposed transaction. For additional information on other potential risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from the results predicted, please see Uber’s most recent annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2023 and subsequent quarterly reports, annual reports and other filings filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time. All information provided in this release and in the attachments is as of the date of this press release and any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on assumptions that Uber believes to be reasonable as of this date. Undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements in this press release, which are based on information available to Uber on the date hereof. Uber undertakes no duty to update this information unless required by law.

About Uber

Uber’s mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 49 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

About Delivery Hero

Delivery Hero is the world’s leading local delivery platform, operating its service in around 70 countries across Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Africa. The Company started as a food delivery service in 2011 and today runs its own delivery platform on four continents. Additionally, Delivery Hero is pioneering quick commerce, the next generation of e-commerce, aiming to bring groceries and household goods to customers in under one hour and often in 20 to 30 minutes. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Delivery Hero has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since 2017 and is part of the MDAX stock market index. For more information, please visit www.deliveryhero.com.

*Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC acted as exclusive financial advisor to Uber and UniCredit Bank GmbH acted as financial advisor to Delivery Hero.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240513294611/en/

For Uber:

press@uber.com

For Delivery Hero:

press@deliveryhero.com

Source: Uber Technologies, Inc.

FAQ

What is Uber acquiring in Taiwan related to foodpanda?

Uber is acquiring Delivery Hero's foodpanda delivery business in Taiwan for $950 million in cash.

When will Uber's acquisition of foodpanda Taiwan be completed?

The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2025, subject to regulatory approval.

How much is Uber investing additionally in Delivery Hero?

Uber will purchase $300 million in newly issued shares of Delivery Hero.

What will happen to foodpanda’s local consumers and merchants after the acquisition?

Post-acquisition, foodpanda's local consumers, merchants, and delivery partners will be transitioned to Uber Eats.

What are the benefits of Uber acquiring foodpanda Taiwan?

The acquisition aims to combine resources, improving user experience, and providing more choices and better prices for consumers.