The High Court has approved Deliveroo’s £2.9 billion takeover by US food delivery group DoorDash.
The London-based company agreed to the deal in May, which will see DoorDash pay 180p per share in cash. The takeover will give Deliveroo staff a payout of nearly £66 million. Together, the merged group will operate across 40 countries and process around $90 billion of orders annually.
Deliveroo, founded in 2013 by Will Shu and Greg Orlowski, generated around £2 billion in sales last year. DoorDash, also launched in 2013 by Tony Xu, operates in over 30 countries and handled 2.5 billion orders in 2024, generating $10.7 billion in revenue. The two firms currently operate in different markets.
Xu said in May he was “excited” about the merger, while Shu called it a “transformative new chapter.”
Deliveroo’s barrister, Andrew Thornton KC, told the court that the scheme was unanimously backed by the board and approved by shareholders in June. He also said two shareholders sanctioned over ties to Russia would be excluded from the scheme until sanctions are lifted.
DoorDash is expected to review the merged business, with potential job cuts affecting 1% to 3% of the combined workforce, mainly in administrative and support functions. Some Deliveroo offices and back-office roles will also be closed as the firm delists, though the company confirmed that agreements with riders and the GMB union will remain in place. Deliveroo also said no major changes are planned for its London headquarters.
Earlier this month, Shu announced he would step down as Deliveroo’s chief executive to pursue new opportunities. Non-executive directors, including Café Rouge founder Dame Karen Jones and Flutter chief executive Peter Jackson, will also leave once the deal completes.
