Uber Plans to Expand German Delivery Service to 70 Cities This Year

Uber is growing its German delivery business and plans to include 70 cities by the end of the year, expanding on its current roster of 14 cities, Bloomberg reported Tuesday (March 1).

Uber is growing its food delivery business because of robust demand, according to Eve Henrikson, general manager in the region for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. She told Bloomberg this gives the company the confidence to expand.

Henrikson said Uber Eats was able to offer restaurants a network of couriers even if they didn’t have a fleet, in contrast to rival Just Eat Takeaway, which relies on a premises having its own delivery riders.

The German food delivery market was dominated by Just Eat Takeaway until 2021. That was when Uber and DoorDash, among others, began to enter the market and broaden it, especially as Delivery Hero exited the country.

Bloomberg also noted that food delivery stocks have been down in the last few months, with investors looking more at profit as opposed to fast-growing tech companies. Uber also saw its way through the selloff better than some — it recently recorded adjusted profits for the first time last quarter.

Uber’s European business has more than tripled since the pandemic began, and greater investments have been made in Europe, such as a partnership with French grocery chain Carrefour to offer rapid delivery in Paris and select cities.

PYMNTS reported recently that Uber was also debuting a new feature to let users browse and book dinner reservations, live events and other entertainment.

Related: Uber Launches Uber Explore in-App Feature for Entertainment Booking

Now, when users open the Explore tab in the app, they’ll see places recommended to them based on categories like food and drink, art, music, nightlife and other things. They’ll also be able to access reviews, photos and directions.

Uber Explore customers will also be able to access one-click rides through the “ride there now” tool, allowing them to tap a button and get a destination set up.