Uber is reportedly trying to acquire postmates.
Angela Lang / CNET
Uber has made an offer to take over delivery service startup Postmates, the New York Times reported late Monday, citing anonymous sources who are familiar with the matter. A deal could come Monday night, the newspaper reported.
Sources told the newspaper that negotiations could continue and end without an agreement.
The acquisition could give UberEats, the start-up’s grocery delivery service, a boost. Since the dining rooms of many restaurants were closed during the coronavirus pandemic, many people turned to delivery and collection services such as Postmates, UberEats, DoorDash and Grubhub for their meals. A March DoorDash survey found that 56% of 1,000 customers said their take-away consumption has increased due to the pandemic.
Uber allegedly wanted to take over the competing food delivery service GrubHub, but reported on merger talks that had left antitrust law. Pit stroke now plans to merge with the Dutch-based Just Eat Takeaway food delivery service worth $ 7.3 billion.
Postmates declined to comment, while Uber did not immediately respond to the request for comment.