Delivery service Getir cuts about 2500 jobs
(dpa-AFX) The food delivery service Getir wants to part with about 2,500 employees. The company made the announcement on Tuesday. Accordingly, the company currently employs about 23,000 people in five countries. How the job cuts are distributed among the countries, the company did not disclose. Previously, the portals "Business Insider" and "Gründerszene" had reported on an impending wave of layoffs.
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The Turkish delivery service operates in the "quick commerce" sector, where customers can have supermarket products delivered to their doorstep within a short time via an app. During the Corona pandemic, this business boomed, with young people in large cities in particular taking advantage of the new delivery options, after which interest declined noticeably. The delivery men, some of whom rode rapidly around corners on their bicycles, also caused discussions in the cities about safety for pedestrians and other road users. In addition, there was and is much criticism of the working conditions for the suppliers.
Just a few weeks ago, Getir had announced that the delivery service intended to withdraw completely from Spain, Portugal and Italy. How many jobs were cut as a result was not disclosed. At the time, it was said that the company wanted to focus its business in Europe primarily on Germany.
In Germany, Getir had acquired competitor Gorillas some time ago. According to its website, the Gorillas brand currently delivers food in more than 20 German cities, while the Getir brand travels through ten German cities, according to its online presence. It was not clear from the company's announcement whether the delivery service will now withdraw from individual German cities. Given the high number of jobs that are to be eliminated, however, that is likely. In Tuesday's announcement, Getir reiterated that the company will continue to offer its services in Germany, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States.
The Quick Commerce business is considered controversial overall. Skeptics complain above all about high costs with comparatively little profit. For example, companies like Delivery Hero, which is based in Berlin, have to pay high rents for centrally located warehouses. However, only particularly attractive locations enable
couriers to deliver the goods to customers in a short time. In addition, the groups spent a lot of money on advertising to make customers aware of the new offer in the first place.
In recent months, Getir has faced further competition despite the already difficult business. The service Lieferando, which actually specializes in restaurant deliveries, has now also added food and household products to its range - for example, in cooperation with Getir. Even services originally geared to delivering drinks are increasingly offering a wide range of food and snacks.
The fast deliveries do not promise large margins, so the companies are keeping a close eye on costs. The trade union Nahrung-Genuss-Gaststätten regularly criticizes the fact that savings are made in the payment of drivers, of all things. In April, the union called on Lieferando's riders to strike for the first time. The two sides have not yet been able to agree on a collective wage agreement.
Note: This article has been translated using a computer system without human intervention. LUMITOS offers these automatic translations to present a wider range of current news. Since this article has been translated with automatic translation, it is possible that it contains errors in vocabulary, syntax or grammar. The original article in German can be found here.
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