Deliveroo Australia, a food delivery service, ceased all operations and entered voluntary administration on November 16, 2022, effectively laying off its entire local workforce. This sudden exit from the Australian market resulted in the redundancy of approximately 120 direct employees and left 15,000 independent delivery riders without work. The company, which had operated in Australia since 2015, cited challenging economic conditions and an unsustainable market position. Despite a pandemic-driven surge in demand, Deliveroo fell behind major competitors like Uber Eats, Menulog, and DoorDash, concluding that achieving market leadership would require disproportionate investment with uncertain returns. The administration also impacted over 12,000 partner restaurants and an unknown number of customers, marking a full wind-down of its local business.
