WhatsApp Cartel: EU Fines Delivery Apps for Anti-Competitive Deal

The European Union has fined German food delivery company Delivery Hero and its Spanish subsidiary Glovo a combined €329 million ($376 million) for violating antitrust rules. The European Commission found that between 2018 and 2022, the two companies engaged in cartel behavior by agreeing not to compete in certain national markets, sharing sensitive pricing information, and entering into a no-poach agreement that prevented them from hiring each other’s employees.

The arrangement initially applied to top-level managers but later expanded to include all staff, excluding delivery drivers, who were classified as self-employed.

The Commission described the case as the first of its kind targeting a labor market cartel in the EU.

Delivery Hero operates in over 70 countries globally, including 16 within the European Economic Area (EEA), while Glovo is active in more than 20 countries, including eight in the EEA. Both companies admitted their involvement and agreed to settle the case.