Uber Suspends European Food Delivery Expansion as Delivery Hero Takeover Continues

Uber suspended most of its planned expansion of food delivery services across Europe only months after unveiling the initiative, as the U.S. technology company sharpens its focus on a proposed acquisition of German food delivery platform Delivery Hero.

According to a report by the Financial Times published on Sunday, Uber has shelved launches in five of the seven European markets it had originally targeted for expansion this year, including Austria, Norway and Greece. The report did not identify the remaining two markets affected by the decision.

Earlier this year, the San Francisco-based company announced plans to introduce Uber Eats in seven additional European countries, Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Greece and Romania, projecting that the expansion would generate approximately $1 billion in additional gross bookings over the next three years.

Despite scaling back most of the rollout, Uber is continuing to pursue its proposed acquisition of Delivery Hero, signaling that consolidation remains central to its long-term European growth strategy.

Delivery Hero disclosed in May that it had received a takeover proposal from Uber valuing the company at €33 per share, equivalent to approximately $37.74 per share at the time.

Reuters previously reported that Uber increased its ownership stake in the German delivery company to around 37%, up from 25%, after acquiring additional shares from investment firm Aspenx Management, one of Delivery Hero's existing shareholders.

Explaining the change in strategy, Uber told the Financial Times that it decided to pause further expansion after the strong performance of its recent Uber Eats launches in Finland and Denmark.

The company said it intends to concentrate on strengthening its presence in markets where the service has already been introduced, seeking to build on what it described as the positive momentum generated by those launches.

The decision suggests Uber is prioritizing operational execution and strategic acquisitions over rapid geographic expansion as competition in Europe's online food delivery sector continues to intensify.