Business | How can we be heroes?

Why Germany is such tough terrain for food delivery

Complex labour laws, organised labour, pricey workers and stingy consumers all play a part

A great business, except for a few riders
|BERLIN

DELIVERY HERO has had a good run in the past couple of years. In August 2020 it ascended to the DAX, the stockmarket index of Germany’s most valuable listed firms. It is present in 50 countries on four continents. Revenue for the third quarter was €1.8bn ($2bn), a jump of 89% compared with the same period in 2020. “We grew 100% before Corona, 100% during Corona and we will grow 100% after Corona,” says Niklas Ostberg, the Berlin-based firm’s Swedish chief executive.

This article appeared in the Business section of the print edition under the headline “How can we be heroes?”

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