Uber Eats is pulling back from a planned expansion into Greece and four other European markets, according to a Financial Times report, just months after formally registering a local subsidiary and signaling an imminent launch.
The company will pause its entry into Austria, Norway, Greece, the Czech Republic and Romania, the FT reported. The decision comes five months after Uber announced plans to expand its food delivery operations across Europe, targeting seven new markets as part of a drive to generate an additional $1 billion in gross bookings over the next three years.
Uber told the FT it decided to halt the expansion following what it described as the “tremendous success” of its launches in Finland and Denmark, saying it wanted to focus on sustaining momentum in its existing markets.
Industry sources, however, offered a different read. The pause, they said, could help smooth any EU antitrust review of Uber’s proposed acquisition of Delivery Hero, the German food delivery group, given the significant overlap between the two companies’ markets.
A costly pursuit
Uber has been pushing to acquire Delivery Hero, whose €10 billion takeover offer was rejected by the Berlin-based company in May. The path to a deal remains uncertain. Prosus, one of Delivery Hero’s major shareholders, is said to be considering expanding its stake in a move that could block the acquisition. EU regulators are also expected to scrutinize any deal closely.
News of the potential acquisition had already rattled markets: Uber’s own stock fell 1.6% as investors weighed the cost and strategic implications of a transaction of that scale.
The expansion pause is not the only headwind facing Uber Eats in Europe. Susan Anderson, the company’s Global Head of Delivery, announced her departure in June 2026 after just 12 months in the role. The company has also faced a technical issue in recent months that left some partner restaurants unable to receive orders, though Uber said the problem did not affect delivery performance.
Uber Eats has gained ground in the United Kingdom, France and Germany, but has lost market share in the United States to DoorDash, which now holds a 64% share of the U.S. market, its highest since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to data from YipitData. Uber holds a 31% share of the U.S. market by comparison.
What is at stake in Greece
The reversal is a significant development for Greece’s food delivery sector, which is estimated to be worth around €1.5 billion annually. Uber Eats had taken what appeared to be a concrete first step into the market on June 4, 2026, registering Uber Eats Greece EPE with the country’s General Commercial Registry (GEMI), with its registered office in Psychiko, a northern Athens suburb.
The Greek market is dominated by efood, which is owned by Delivery Hero. Founded in 2012 by brothers Paminos and Konstantinos Kyrkinis and acquired in full by Delivery Hero in 2015, efood posted revenues of €211 million in 2024, a 22% increase from €163.8 million the previous year, and paid a dividend of €31.8 million to Delivery Hero. Greece is among Delivery Hero’s most profitable markets globally.
Source: OT.gr
