Uber / Trendyol Go: Uber's Entry into Turkey's Food Delivery Market

Uber Technologies acquired Trendyol Go, the food delivery and courier services division of Trendyol, Turkey's largest e-commerce platform, in 2024. The transaction transferred Trendyol Go's food delivery operations — including its restaurant network, customer base, and courier infrastructure — to Uber Eats.

The financial terms of the transaction were not publicly disclosed. Trendyol retained its core e-commerce marketplace and fast delivery (Trendyol Express) operations.

Trendyol was founded in 2010 in Istanbul and grew into Turkey's dominant e-commerce marketplace. In 2018, Alibaba Group acquired a majority stake in Trendyol, providing the capital and logistics expertise that accelerated the platform's growth.

By the early 2020s, Trendyol had expanded beyond marketplace commerce into:

• Trendyol Express: Same-day and next-day parcel delivery
• Trendyol Go (formerly Trendyol Yemek): Food delivery and on-demand courier services
• Trendyol Finansman: Consumer financing

Trendyol Go operated as a direct competitor to Yemeksepeti (owned by Delivery Hero) and Getir Food in Turkey's food delivery market. The platform leveraged Trendyol's existing courier network and customer base to compete in the high-volume, low-margin food delivery segment.

The acquisition of Trendyol Go served several strategic purposes for Uber:

1. Market entry: Uber Eats had limited presence in Turkey prior to this transaction. Acquiring an established platform with existing restaurant partnerships and a courier network provided immediate scale.
2. Customer base: Trendyol Go's users were integrated into Trendyol's broader ecosystem, giving Uber access to a large and active consumer base.
3. Operational infrastructure: The transaction transferred courier routing technology, restaurant onboarding processes, and delivery logistics built specifically for Turkish urban markets.
4. Competitive consolidation: Combined with Uber's earlier acquisition of Getir's Turkish operations, the Trendyol Go deal significantly strengthened Uber's position in Turkey's on-demand delivery market.

For Trendyol, divesting the food delivery arm reflected a strategic refocus:

• Food delivery is a capital-intensive, low-margin business requiring continuous investment in courier subsidies and restaurant acquisition
• Trendyol's core competitive advantage lies in its marketplace and logistics infrastructure for physical goods
• The divestiture allowed Trendyol to concentrate resources on its higher-margin e-commerce and financial services operations
• Trendyol retained Trendyol Express, preserving its parcel delivery capabilities

Turkey's food delivery market underwent significant consolidation in 2023–2024:

The consolidation reduced the number of major food delivery platforms from four to effectively two: Yemeksepeti and Uber Eats.

The food delivery sector globally — and in Turkey specifically — faces structural profitability challenges:

• High courier costs: Delivery economics require either high order volumes or premium pricing
• Restaurant margin pressure: Platforms charge commissions of 20–30%, creating friction with restaurant partners
• Consumer price sensitivity: Turkish consumers are highly price-sensitive, limiting the ability to pass costs through
• Regulatory scrutiny: Gig economy regulations affecting courier classification are evolving in Turkey

The combination of Uber's Getir acquisition and the Trendyol Go acquisition in the same year raised questions about market concentration in Turkey's food delivery sector. Transactions meeting the relevant thresholds under Turkish Competition Law (Law No. 4054) require notification to the Turkish Competition Authority (Rekabet Kurumu).

Whether the Trendyol Go transaction was subject to mandatory notification — and any conditions attached to approval — was not publicly disclosed at the time of this writing.

The transaction involved the transfer of:

• The Trendyol Go brand and associated trademarks registered before TÜRKPATENT
• Technology infrastructure including the mobile application and backend systems
• Restaurant partnership agreements and associated data

Brand transition timelines in food delivery acquisitions typically span 6–18 months, during which the acquired platform operates under its original branding before migrating to the acquirer's platform.

Courier and operational staff employed directly by Trendyol Go were subject to the business transfer provisions of Turkish Labor Law (Law No. 4857). Under Article 6, upon transfer of a business:

• Employment contracts transfer automatically to the acquirer
• Employees' accrued seniority rights are preserved
• The transfer itself does not constitute grounds for termination

For couriers classified as independent contractors rather than employees, the transfer had different implications — a distinction that has been subject to ongoing regulatory and judicial scrutiny in Turkey.

The Uber / Trendyol Go and Uber / Getir transactions together signal that Turkey's food delivery market has reached a consolidation phase typical of maturing technology markets. For foreign investors and strategic acquirers, this consolidation offers several observations:

1. Scale matters: The economics of food delivery favor dominant platforms; sub-scale operators face structural disadvantages
2. Ecosystem integration: Trendyol's ability to monetize its food delivery arm through a strategic sale reflects the value of building delivery capabilities within a broader e-commerce ecosystem
3. Regulatory environment: Turkey's competition authority has been active in reviewing technology sector transactions; foreign acquirers should plan for regulatory review timelines

Transactions involving Turkish technology companies with foreign acquirers require careful attention to:

• Foreign investment screening: Turkey does not currently operate a CFIUS-equivalent regime, but sector-specific regulations may apply
• Data localization: Turkish data protection law (KVKK) imposes requirements on the transfer of personal data, including customer and courier data, in the context of M&A
• Tax structuring: The tax treatment of goodwill, customer lists, and technology assets in cross-border acquisitions requires advance planning

The Uber / Trendyol Go transaction illustrates the maturation of Turkey's technology M&A market. For Uber, it represented a cost-effective path to scale in a market where organic growth would have required years of investment. For Trendyol, it was a disciplined strategic exit from a non-core business. Together with the Getir acquisition, it reshaped Turkey's food delivery landscape into a two-player market.

This analysis is based on publicly available sources and is for informational purposes only; it does not constitute legal advice. Contact ULF New York for guidance on specific transaction structures or Turkish technology investments.