It wasn’t long ago when they were the “next big thing.” Delivery services such as Flink, Getir and Gorillas, which offer to deliver groceries to the doorsteps of city dwellers within minutes, took off during the pandemic. From a chocolate bar to an after-work beer, everything was suddenly just a swipe away in the app. Forgot avocado? Doesn’t matter. Fancy a bag of chips? Coming soon! For some it was a dream come true: never leaving the sofa again.
But as is sometimes the case with dreams, things can get complicated when they meet reality. This is exactly what is increasingly happening in the world of food delivery services. According to media reports, Getir, one of the two remaining large start-ups operating in Germany, is ceasing its business in this country. The Istanbul-based company also wants to withdraw from other European countries in mid-May. In the future, Getir will only be present on the home market in Turkey. In the meantime, it was also suspected that Getir could merge with rival Flink.
If you believe one Report of Busi ness Insider, Getir could even be on the verge of elimination. As a result, the major shareholder Mubadala, a sovereign wealth fund from Abu Dhabi, is angry with the management. Mubadala had apparently also made a mistake in assessing the business of the Austrian entrepreneur René Benko and initiated arbitration proceedings at the end of 2023. Until recently, Getir’s management had not been able to make the delivery business profitable. Getir is said to have lost between 50 and 100 million euros per month. The company itself did not comment on the reports.
Only a year and a half ago, Getir had swallowed up the reeling competitor Gorillas. The start-up that made the biggest noise when it opened its first “warehouses” in Berlin in 2020, as the marketing-oriented company called its warehouses. From there, the so-called riders used to bring the orders to the customers on their bikes. Gorillas attracted attention primarily because of its advertising promise that it would take no more than ten minutes for free delivery.
Above all, the start-up of the Turkish founder Kağan Sümer then provided an unusually large amount of material for reporting within a short period of time. Drivers complained, among other things, about a lack of protective equipment and delayed salary payments and brought the warehouses to a standstill in wildcat strikes. Management responded with ad hoc layoffs and later tried bitterly to prevent the establishment of a works council. The disputes between the Gorillas management and the bike couriers showed that this business could hardly succeed. The costs for personnel and materials were simply too high compared to the often sparse baskets of goods that were delivered, and the margins were therefore too low.
But interest rates were low, as was inflation, and investors from all over the world were ready to shower money on the wild founders with their daring ideas. Getir was now valued at twelve billion dollars. Now that times have changed, it looks as if investors and delivery service companies are slowly waking up and the bike couriers from Getir and Gorillas will disappear from German roads.
Will German rival Flink now do big business? The delivery service is supposedly doing better from week to week. Flink has received a new tranche from the last financing round, around 30 million euros, reports Food newspaper. The company with Rewe participation will be financed until autumn. Either way, the next big thing is sure to come.