Amazon Will Take Stake in Grubhub, Offer Prime Users Membership in the US
Just Eat Takeaway.com NV’s shares jumped the most in almost four years after Amazon.com Inc. agreed to take a stake in its Grubhub business.
The stake is part of a partnership where Amazon will offer US Prime users a one-year membership to the food delivery service, the Dutch company said in a statement on Wednesday.
The deal is a vital boost for Just Eat Takeaway, which has seen its share price crash more than 65% this year hitting a record low on Tuesday. The company also faces internal turmoil after it launched an investigation into its chief operating officer’s personal conduct and its chairman stepped down in May.
Amazon will receive options for a 2% stake in Grubhub and will have the opportunity to increase the holding to 15%, Just Eat said. Amazon’s stake is in the form of warrants, which will vest depending on how well the partnership performs and how many new customers it attracts.
Just Eat shares jumped as much as 20% in Amsterdam on Wednesday, the biggest intraday gain since December 2018, and were up 17% at 11:06 a.m. local time. The stock has declined 67% this year.
“The Amazon partnership is both material and welcome,” Jefferies analyst Giles Thorne said in a note to investors. “Grubhub has secured not just a very powerful partner, but also a very efficient acquisition channel. For a hitherto stranded asset and dead-weight to the JET equity, this is positive news.”
The membership agreement will renew every year unless Amazon or Grubhub terminates it, and Just Eat will continue to explore a full or partial sale of the US business, Just Eat said. The company announced plans to find an investor or bidder for the US business in April, less than a year after buying Grubhub for $7.3 billion.
Grubhub also attracted
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