Uber pauses European food delivery expansion

Uber has halted most of its planned expansion of food delivery services in Europe, scaling back a major initiative announced earlier this year as it focuses on a potential acquisition of the German delivery platform Delivery Hero. According to a report in the Financial Times, the company has shelved launches in five of the seven European markets it had targeted for 2026, including Austria, Norway, Greece, the Czech Republic, and Romania.

The San Francisco-based company had unveiled plans to introduce Uber Eats in those five countries plus Denmark and Finland, projecting the expansion would generate approximately $1 billion in additional gross bookings over the next three years. However, Uber told the Financial Times it decided to pause further expansion after what it described as the "huge success" of its recent launches in Finland and Denmark. The company now intends to concentrate on strengthening its presence in those two existing markets.

This strategic shift coincides with Uber's continued pursuit of Delivery Hero. In May, Delivery Hero disclosed it had received a takeover proposal from Uber valuing the company at 33 euros per share. Uber has also increased its ownership...