Uber halts its expansion into the European food-delivery market for Delivery Hero.

      Five months ago, Uber announced plans to expand its food-delivery app into five new European countries. However, it has now seemingly hit the brakes, likely due to a €10bn acquisition attempt.

      According to the Financial Times, Uber has put on hold five of its seven planned launches in Europe for 2026. The company had revealed its intentions in February to target Austria, Norway, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Greece, but those plans are currently suspended. Only its existing launches in Denmark and Finland will proceed as planned.

      The official statement from Uber emphasizes momentum, claiming that recent successes in Finland and Denmark have led the company to concentrate on existing markets. Originally, Uber projected it would generate an additional $1bn in gross bookings over three years in the competitive European food-delivery sector.

      However, a more plausible explanation for this pause involves an acquisition. Uber is pursuing Delivery Hero, the German food-delivery leader, which turned down a €10bn offer in May. Uber already owns approximately 19.5% of Delivery Hero and is continuing to increase its stake.

      The complication is that Delivery Hero operates in nearly all the markets where Uber has halted its expansion. Its Foodora brand serves Austria, Norway, and the Czech Republic, while efood is active in Greece, and Glovo operates in Romania.

      Competing with an established player like Delivery Hero before attempting to acquire it would likely result in an antitrust scrutiny. An industry insider shared with TechCrunch that pausing the expansion might help mitigate such concerns.

      This situation is significant as Delivery Hero is a major player with 40,000 employees across 65 countries, dominating food delivery outside the US and maintaining strong positions in the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, and Asia. Notably, it no longer operates in Germany after being forced out by a competitor in 2021. Acquiring it would give Uber a vast delivery network in one fell swoop.

      Uber has not confirmed that this acquisition attempt is the reason for the pause, instead framing it as a shift in focus, not a withdrawal. However, the timing is hard to overlook.

      European competition regulators are particularly vigilant, and a company pursuing such a significant target typically takes care to avoid regulatory conflicts. Meanwhile, Delivery Hero has stated that it welcomes Uber's investment.

      At present, Uber’s plans in Europe have two new markets instead of seven, and the five markets on hold may indicate more about negotiations than actual market interest.