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Just Eat has broken through the 300m order mark as UK takeaway market booms

The UK’s online takeaway and delivery boom shows no signs of abating after Just Eat announced it has broken through the 300m order mark with 100m of those orders coming in the last 12 months.

Three orders per second in the last year has fuelled another impressive year of order growth for the UK firm, which has embarked on an aggressive expansion effort in recent years as it looks to corner the takeaway delivery market.

The online takeaway firm said that an order from Emma Black in Gateshead had seen the platform surpass the milestone, with Black winning a holiday to Italy and a monetary donation to Santos, the takeaway which received the 300 millionth order.

London-headquartered Just Eat has found itself at the vanguard of the UK’s online food delivery boom since its launch in 2006, it now boasts 27,600 restaurant partners ranging from local takeaways to local delivery for bigger chains.

However, its turf has faced increasing competition from on-demand rivals such as Deliveroo and UberEATS in recent years, sparking an acquisition and innovation drive at the publicly-listed firm as it looks to cement its position in the marketplace.

A string of acquisitions, including its proposed Hungryhouse merger which is set to be investigated by the CMA, has been complemented by an innovation push and a marketing drive which has culminated in a high-profile sponsorship for ITV’s X-Factor.

Just Eat’s rise has coincided with massive growth in the UK takeaway market as a whole. The market grew to £6bn last year, up from £5.5bn in 2015 as greater choice and lifestyle changes have fuelled a take-out boom in recent years.

Graham Corfield, UK Managing Director at Just Eat, said that the sector’s adoption of technology and innovation, which the firm has helped to foster, played a large part in the growth of the market.

He commented: “Historically, independent restaurants have had neither the resources nor technology to digitalise their businesses. Providing the platform for them to move online and reach a significantly broader customer base has helped to grow their businesses.

“We are proud of the job Just Eat has done in helping to grow the sector and the technological developments we have implemented to help make food discovery more exciting.”

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