Amazon invests hundreds of millions in Just Eat rival Deliveroo

Deliveroo plans to use the investment to expand its London-based technology team

Retail giant Amazon has led a $575 million investment round into British food delivery service Deliveroo.

The Series G funding round, announced today, was also backed by existing investors T. Rowe Price, Fidelity Management and Research Company and Greenoaks.

Deliveroo said it will use the funds to continue with its mission to build a "world-class service... bringing customers the food they want whenever and wherever they want it", and to offer "even more work for riders [and help] restaurants to grow their businesses by reaching new customers".

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As part of the announcement, Deliveroo unveiled several plans to fuel further growth, following its latest funding round.

In particular, Deliveroo plans to grow its London-based engineering team, and hire more skilled workers; expand its delivery reach; continue "innovating in the food sector"; and develop new services for customers.

Founded in 2013 by William Shu and Greg Orlowski, Deliveroo works with more than 80,000 restaurants and takeaways, as well as 60,000 drivers globally.

The company currently operates in 14 markets, including Australia, Belgium, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and the UK.

Will Shu, founder and CEO of Deliveroo, said the new investment will help Deliveroo to offer customers even more choice, tailored to their personal tastes, offer restaurants greater opportunities to grow and expand their businesses, and to create more flexible, well-paid work for riders.

He said: "Amazon has been an inspiration to me personally and to the company, and we look forward to working with such a customer-obsessed organisation.

"This is great news for the tech and restaurant sectors, and it will help to create jobs in all of the countries in which we operate."

While it's not known exactly how much Amazon has invested as part of the deal, it is likely to be a substantial figure. It will almost certainly help the company to acquire Deliveroo at some point in the future, if proves to be a profitable venture.

Many see it as a way for the retail giant to take on similar services, such as Uber Eats, internationally.

Doug Gurr, Amazon UK Country manager, said: "We're impressed with Deliveroo's approach, and their dedication to providing customers with an ever increasing selection of great restaurants along with convenient delivery options.

"Will and his team have built an innovative technology and service, and we're excited to see what they do next."

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