Deliveroo sales and orders surge as customers come back for more

Deliveroo has reported a surge in sales and customer orders for the first half of 2025 as it said people were getting takeaways more frequently.

The delivery giant nonetheless revealed it swung to a loss ahead of its planned takeover by US rival DoorDash.

Gross transaction value (GTV) – an industry metric for the total value of transactions on platforms, including things like delivery costs – was £3.8 billion for the first six months of the year.

This was 9% higher than the same period a year ago, at constant currency rates, while GTV was 10% higher in the UK and Ireland.

The total number of orders across its global markets was 147 million – 8% higher than last year.

Deliveroo said this was driven by its efforts to offer choice and value to customers, including by adding new merchants, as well as consumers being more resilient than it had expected.

Average order frequency increased across all its markets year on year, meaning its customers were coming back to the platform to order again.

“The first half of this year was very positive,” Will Shu, Deliveroo’s founder and chief executive, said.

“Consumer engagement is encouraging, with order frequency and retention continuing to improve across all cohorts.

“We are delivering on our mission to change the way people shop and eat, and to bring the neighbourhood to people’s doors.”

However, Deliveroo revealed it slipped to a loss of £19.2 million for the period, compared with a £1.3 million profit the prior year.

It said this was primarily due to costs relating to its takeover by DoorDash.

Deliveroo agreed to be bought by the rival US delivery firm in May in a deal worth around £2.9 billion.

The move has been approved by shareholders and it now needs the green light from regulators, with the acquisition expected to be completed during the final three months of this year.

On an adjusted basis, which strips out what it views as one-off costs, earnings before interest, tax and other costs hit £96.3 million for the first half – 46% higher than last year.