Ride-hailing giant Uber is reportedly eyeing the European grocery market, with Bloomberg reporting it’s looking to start grocery delivery to compete with Deliveroo and Just Eat—the continent’s two largest third-party delivery brands.
Evidence: “We’re currently speaking with a number of the major supermarkets around Europe,” an Uber spokesman said in an email to Bloomberg.
While it’s likely that grocery delivery will become a larger part of the third-party delivery equation here in the U.S., the practice has already gained traction in Europe. Bloomberg’s story reports that Uber has broached a conversation with Sainsbury’s, which is a major player in the U.K.’s grocery market.
“We talk to many companies about potential partnerships that could help our customers access convenient and affordable products,” a Sainsbury’s spokesman said in a separate email to Bloomberg.
This news is significant, as all indications point to continued adoption of delivered groceries worldwide, as well as speculation that Just Eat and Deliveroo could enter the North American market. Just Eat recently partnered with Walmart’s Asda brand, and Amazon led a $545 million investment in Deliveroo back in May.
Industry watcher Grocery Dive said the average value of weekly online sales at U.K. food stores doubled between 2010 and 2016—a little out of date, but illustrative of Europe’s lead over North America in grocery delivery.
