Uber plots 7-country European delivery blitz to “shake up” complacent rivals

EUROPE – Uber has announced it is preparing to storm seven new European markets in 2026, launching delivery operations in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Norway, the Czech Republic, Greece, and Romania.

Susan Anderson, Uber’s global head of delivery, told media outlets that the expansion targets markets where “the incumbent has grown comfortable,” adding: “We think it’s time to raise the bar, shake things up and deliver better value across the category.”

Fresh Competition for Wolt and Local Players

The move brings Uber into direct competition with Finland-based Wolt, acquired by DoorDash in 2022, across all four Nordic countries.

Anderson’s language suggests Uber sees opportunity where competitors may have grown complacent about pricing, service levels, or restaurant partnerships.

The expansion will leverage Uber’s existing technology and its ability to cross-sell delivery services to its massive ride-hailing user base, which exceeded 156 million monthly active users in 2025.

Consolidation Creates Opening for Aggressive Newcomer

Uber’s expansion comes amid dramatic consolidation across Europe’s food delivery landscape.

Prosus agreed a €4.1 billion US$4.3 billion) deal last year to take Just Eat Takeaway private. In October 2025, DoorDash acquired UK-based Deliveroo in a £2.9 billion (US$3.6 billion) transaction.

With major players merging and focusing on integration, Uber appears to be betting that agility can carve out meaningful market share from incumbents focused on post-merger digestion.

Turkey Deal Adds to Momentum

Just last week, Uber outlined plans to purchase Getir’s food delivery business in Turkey. Anderson said the deal would “complement” Uber’s existing Turkish operation, Trendyol Go.

“By bringing those two companies together, we’re able to continue to deliver to the restaurant merchants all the demand they’ve been used to, but also be able to consolidate and use our global tech within that market,” she explained.

The Turkish acquisition demonstrates Uber’s appetite for strategic consolidation even as it pursues organic expansion across Europe.

Cross-Selling Advantage Fuels Delivery Growth

The European push follows increases in Uber’s market share across several of its largest regional markets, including the UK, Germany, France, and Spain. Anderson credited the delivery arm’s success to cross-selling to Uber’s ride-hailing users.

“We have a strong established relationship with customers from the Uber [ride-hailing] side, which has always been our advantage in this space,” she noted.

That existing relationship gives Uber a significant customer acquisition cost advantage over pure-play delivery competitors who must spend heavily on marketing to attract each new user.

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