Uber has confirmed its intention to “shut down” US alcohol e-tailer Drizly, with the gap set to be filled by its Uber Eats platform.
The decision, announced earlier this week, comes just over two years after Uber acquired Drizly for US$1.1bn. The closure is scheduled for March with Uber Eats becoming the “single app” for consumers in the country to “get almost anything – from food to groceries to alcohol”.
An Uber spokesperson said: “Consumers are increasingly preferring the one-stop shop convenience of being able to get multiple types of products delivered using the same app. The ‘BevAlc’ delivery category on Uber Eats has expanded rapidly – the global business has more than doubled in the last year.”
Drizly CEO Cathey Lewenberg confirmed the news in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday (16 January).
Lewenberg was promoted to the lead at Drizly almost exactly a year ago having joined the business as COO in 2020.
In a subsequent post also on LinkedIn, the CEO of competing alcohol e-tailer ReserveBar bemoaned the loss of its “co-conspirators”. “We’ve always had great respect for their vision, brand, innovation, and talent,” wrote Derek Correia. “We will continue to … create new opportunities for brands to reach and engage consumers during shoppable moments, to support retailers’ growth and digital success, to elevate discovery, purchase and gifting journeys, to make content shoppable and to do things that have never been done before.
“If you find yourself dislocated as an employee, a customer, a retailer, or a supplier, please reach out to us.”
