Uber to buy extra 4.5% of Delivery Hero for roughly €270m, lifting stake to about 7%

It has been reported that Uber has agreed to pay roughly €270m to acquire an additional 4.5% stake in German food-delivery group Delivery Hero from Prosus, bringing Uber’s total holding to about 7%. Short and sweet: Uber is buying a larger piece of a company it often competes with in multiple markets. Surprise? A little. Strategic? Very likely.

Deal details

The purchase is from Prosus, the technology investor that has been trimming some holdings across its portfolio. The numbers imply an enterprise value in the neighborhood of €6bn for Delivery Hero — a back-of-the-envelope calculation but a useful way to read the price tag. At about 7% ownership, Uber stops short of control; this is a meaningful minority stake, not a takeover. It has been reported that both sides see value in closer alignment without dramatic consolidation.

Strategy and market implications

Why buy a rival a little bit more? Think influence without the headaches of full integration. Uber gets financial exposure to Delivery Hero’s growth and can potentially deepen commercial ties where interests align — last-mile logistics, market expansion, cross-border learnings. Is this a prelude to closer cooperation, or just portfolio play? That’s the million-dollar question investors will be asking. The move also fits a broader industry pattern: big platforms hedging bets and picking partners in a fiercely competitive delivery market where margins remain stubbornly thin.

What comes next

Watch the market reaction and any hints about operational collaboration. Regulators probably won’t blink at a passive stake, but customers and couriers will read tea leaves about future tie-ups. For now, it’s a calculated nudge rather than a full embrace — a small twist in the delivery wars that could ripple wider if more strategic moves follow.

Sources: ft.com