Amazon quits London restaurant delivery market
The US-based company has emailed customers confirming they will no longer be able to order from Amazon Restaurants after 3 December, the Evening Standard reports.
Amazon began offering the takeaway service to its Prime members in 2016 in a bid to encourage more customers to sign up to the £79 a year subscription.
It ‘hand-picked’ restaurants to work with, including casual dining chains such as Comptoir Libanais, and Michelin-starred Benares.
The service initially offered free delivery on orders over £15, though a £1.99 flat fee was later introduced, with food arriving ‘typically in an hour or less’.
But Amazon faced a crowded delivery market, with rivals Deliveroo and UberEats both growing in the capital.
Earlier this month Deliveroo topped Deloitte’s UK Fast 50 Awards list after recording revenue growth of 15,749% over the last four years.
UberEats is planning to widen its UK service over the next year, and is in discussions with local councils to set up its own ‘virtual restaurant’ model, according to The Sunday Times.
A spokesperson for Amazon said: “We are closing Amazon Restaurants UK. We would like to thank all of our customers and merchants and delivery partners for their support.”
UK consumers spend £9.9bn on takeaways each year, according to the Takeaway Economy Report compiled by The Centre for Economics and Business Research. This figure is forecast to hit £11.2bn by 2021.
