Pandemic habits boost Deliveroo’s Irish sales

Directors predict ‘culture of eating out’ unlikely to revert to pre-Covid state for some time

The pandemic helped to boost sales at the Irish arm of takeaway food delivery service Deliveroo by 64 per cent last year.

New accounts show revenues at Deliveroo Ireland Ltd increased by €16.85 million, from €26.34 million to €43.2 million, in the 12 months to the end of December last.

The 2021 performance followed a 91 per cent surge in sales, from €13.76 million to €26.34 million, in 2020.

In notes with the latest accounts, the company’s directors highlighted the impact of Covid-19, pointing to “increased demand ... [and] the change in ordering behaviour”. They predicted that “the culture of eating out will likely not revert to the way it was pre-Covid for some time”.

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Pretax profits last year increased by 27 per cent to €819,246.

The directors said gross profits increased by 75 per cent, from €8.4 million to €14.74 million, “reflecting both increased demand and the scalable unit economics of the business model”.

The company’s operating profit increased more than 20-fold, from €54,504 to €1.123 million.

Deliveroo directly employs 10 people in the Republic, in sales, marketing and operations. Staff costs last year totalled €626,989.

Deliveroo operates in 11 markets worldwide and has more than 190,000 self-employed couriers or ‘riders’ on its books.

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan

Gordon Deegan is a contributor to The Irish Times