DoorDash to buy Instacart for $17 billion (about Rs 4.7 trillion), its biggest deal yet
DoorDash will pay $65 a share, a 26% premium, mostly in cash, to add Instacart's grocery business. The deal needs regulators and is expected to close by late 2027 or the first half of 2028.
DoorDash, the US food delivery company, has agreed to buy grocery delivery firm Instacart in a deal worth $17 billion, about Rs 4.7 trillion at Thursday's interbank rate, the BBC reported on 29 October 2026. It is DoorDash's largest acquisition and would put restaurant meals, quick top-up orders and the big weekly grocery shop in one company. Talks were first reported on 26 October.
The deal in numbers
| Value | $17 billion (about Rs 4.7 trillion) |
| Price per Instacart share | $65 (about Rs 18,000) |
| Premium | 26% over Instacart's close on 22 October, before talks leaked |
| Payment | at least 75% cash, the rest DoorDash shares |
| Expected completion | end of 2027 or first half of 2028 |
| Stores on Instacart | 100,000 now, 150,000 after the deal |
DoorDash plans to keep the Instacart brand, app and technology, and the two companies will run separately until the deal closes. Rupee figures use the interbank rate of Rs 276.76 to the dollar on 29 October; convert any amount with our currency converter.
What the two CEOs said
"Grocery is one of the hardest things to get right online. Someone has to pick a ripe avocado, find a substitute you'd choose yourself, and get the ice cream to you before it melts," DoorDash co-founder and chief executive Tony Xu said. Instacart chief executive Chris Rogers said joining DoorDash would let Instacart "do even more" for grocers after 14 years in online grocery.
Morningstar analyst Martin Szumski told Reuters that restaurant delivery is maturing and growth now lies in weekly grocery shops, convenience items and retail, the BBC reported.
The hurdles
The merger may face antitrust questions from US regulators, Reuters reported. New York City's consumer and worker protection commission, which reached a $131.5 million settlement with DoorDash last month over claims it underpaid delivery workers, called the deal part of "a troubling trend of mega-corporations consolidating" and said it would keep enforcing delivery workers' rights.
Why it matters here
The deal is a bet that the weekly grocery order, not the takeaway meal, is where delivery apps grow next, the same direction food delivery apps in Pakistan have taken by adding groceries to their menus. Neither DoorDash nor Instacart operates in Pakistan, so local customers see no direct change.
Frequently asked questions
- How much is DoorDash paying for Instacart?
- $17 billion, or $65 per Instacart share, at least 75% in cash. That is about Rs 4.7 trillion at 29 October 2026 rates.
Sources
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