DoorDash strikes $17 billion deal for US rival Instacart in bets on grocery delivery

DoorDash said on Thursday it would buy Instacart in a deal valued at about $17 billion, stepping up its push into the fast-growing US grocery delivery market as competition among app-based platforms intensifies.

Heightened competition following a slowdown in orders from the pandemic peaks, along with rising cost pressures and tough regulatory scrutiny over the treatment of gig workers, has spurred a flurry of deals in the industry.

These include Just Eat Takeaway acquiring Grubhub for $7.3 billion, DoorDash’s purchase of Wolt and UK’s Deliveroo in 2025, as well as Uber’s $15 billion deal for Delivery Hero earlier this year and Postmates in 2020.