Just Eat Takeaway sells Grubhub for $650 million, just 3 years after buying the app for $7.3 billion

NEW YORK (AP) — European food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway.com is selling Grubhub for $650 million, a fraction of the billions it spent to buy the U.S. platform just three years ago.

Wonder Group, a New York-based food ordering company that touts “fast fine” dining, is set to be Grubhub's new owner. Under terms of the deal, announced Wednesday, Wonder will acquire Grubhub from Just Eat Takeaway.com for $150 million in cash and $500 million in senior notes.

That's far less than than the price tag on Grubhub's last sale. Back in 2020, during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic and a surge in demand for takeout meals, Just Eat agreed to buy Grubhub for $7.3 billion — reportedly beating Uber to a merger — in a transaction that was later finalized in 2021.

Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com acknowledged Wednesday that it had been “actively exploring” the partial or full sale of Grubhub for some time, citing prior announcements from the company. Just Eat Takeaway.com added that selling Grubhub to Wonder would increase growth, cash generation and support investment in countries where it "has the greatest competitive advantage.” Beyond the U.S. the company currently operates in 18 other countries.

The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2025, subject to regulatory approval and other customary conditions. When completed, Just Eat Takeaway.com says it will retain no material liabilities related to Grubhub.

“This deal delivers the right home for Grubhub and its employees,” Just Eat Takeaway.com CEO Jitse Groen said in a statement. Shares of the company were up over 15% by midday Wednesday.

The CEOs of Wonder and Grubhub, Marc Lore and Howard Migdal, also sounded positive notes Wednesday — with both noting that the deal would aid Wonder's mission to “make great food more accessible" and enhance customer experiences.

Wonder, founded by Lore, bills itself as a “new kind of food hall” and delivers made-to-order meals from well-known chefs and restaurants. The New York startup was once known for its fleet of delivery trucks, but later transitioned to a more of brick-and-mortar approach. Its online offerings have also grown. Last year, Wonder purchased meal kit company Blue Apron for $103 million.

Grubhub, headquartered in Chicago, operates in more than 4,000 U.S. cities — with over 375,000 merchants and 200,000 delivery partners across the country to date. According to Just Eat Takeaway.com, the platform generated 237 million orders with a gross transaction value of 8.06 billion euros (about $8.53 billion) last year.

Takeaway.com, which merged with Just Eat in 2020, and Grubhub were both founded in the early 2000s — making them some of the earliest entries in the sector. But competition rapidly increased as now-popular platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash also joined the game. And customers jumping between apps can make it difficult to keep sales stable.

As of March 2024, numbers from data analytics firm Bloomberg Second Measure showed that Grubhub made up only 8% of meal delivery consumer spending in the U.S. — far less than DoorDash or Uber Eats. DoorDash is currently winning the “food delivery war,” per Second Measure, making up 67% of these sales, followed by Uber Eats' 23%.

This story has been updated to correct that GrubHub generated a gross transaction value of 8.06 billion euros, not million.

FILE - The Grubhub app is seen on an iPhone in Chicago, Feb. 20, 2018. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.

Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.

“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.

"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.

Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.

Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.

Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.

At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.

Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.

Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.

After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.

“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”

Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.

Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.

His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.

“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”

Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.

FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)