Market reports estimate that in the UK, online orders account for 40% of all food delivery compared with 8% market share in 2008. Deliveroo is one company that has helped drive this percentage upwards. The company is fast approaching the Billion Dollar Unicorn status and is also expected to be an IPO prospect.

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Deliveroo’s Offerings

London, UK-based Deliveroo was founded in 2013 by William Shu and Greg Orlowski. The idea behind Deliveroo came about when William Shu moved from New York to London and realized that it was not always possible to get food delivered from the restaurant that he wanted. William connected with his childhood friend and software engineer Greg Orlowski, and soon the company was set up with a mission to bring the world’s local restaurants into everyone’s home or office.

The platform allows users to enter their postcode on the homepage and the platform will show them the local restaurants that will be able to deliver food to them. Customers choose the restaurant that they want to order from, enter their address and payment details, and Deliveroo’s more than 5,000 Roomen or Roowomen then get them their food as soon as possible. Using Deliveroo, customers are able to order food from the local restaurants which otherwise may not offer a delivery service.

Deliveroo has tie-ups with hundreds of restaurant chains and other independent food providers for food delivery. The team has curated a diverse selection of restaurants that range from top local Italian trattorias to national burger chains. Restaurants that have tied up with Deliveroo include names like PizzaExpress, Gourmet Burger Kitchen, and Michelin-star rated Trishna. The service is now available in 84 cities across 12 countries in Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Deliveroo’s Increasing Competition

But the company is now facing stiff competition from some bigger players. Earlier this summer, Uber announced plans to enter the UK food delivery market with its offering – UberEATS. To make matters worse, e-commerce giant Amazon is also entering the space with its restaurant food delivery service in the UK markets. Amazon already offers the service in New York. Amazon offers Prime members free delivery of food with a minimum order of £15. Its entry has led to a price war as both UberEats and Deliveroo are now offering credits to attract consumers.