EU inspectors raid Barcelona office of food delivery company Glovo
European Commission inspectors have raided the Berlin and Barcelona offices of German food delivery company Delivery Hero and its Spanish subsidiary Glovo, in a probe into suspicions of anti-trust infringements.
The European Commission separately said it has carried out checks in properties belonging to companies active in the food delivery sector in two member states, but did not specify which.
The operations are linked to raids carried out in July 2022, said the commission, adding that it had expanded an initial probe on suspicions of a deal by market players to share out the market, to examining allegations of accords on hiring practices and the exchange of sensitive commercial data.
"The European Commission carried out an inspection in Berlin and Barcelona offices," Delivery Hero told AFP. Glovo also separately confirmed the raid.
"The fact that the Commission carried out such an inspection does not mean that it has concluded that there is a real infringement of competition law and does not prejudge the results" of the probe, added the companies.
Barcelona-based Glovo was purchased in 2022 by Berlin-headquartered Delivery Hero.
In January, Glovo was fined €57 million by Spain's Labour Ministry for not giving its riders formal job contracts as required under a 2021 law and for giving gigs to nearly 800 irregular immigrants without work permits, a ministry spokesman said.
Under the so-called Rider Law that came into effect in August 2021, couriers who deliver food, mostly on bicycles and motorcycles, must be recognised as employees instead of being considered self-employed freelancers as before.
It is the first European legislation that explicitly regulates the status of delivery workers, who get around on bikes and motorcycles and whose numbers have exploded in recent years, despite precarious working conditions.
Comments
See Also
The European Commission separately said it has carried out checks in properties belonging to companies active in the food delivery sector in two member states, but did not specify which.
The operations are linked to raids carried out in July 2022, said the commission, adding that it had expanded an initial probe on suspicions of a deal by market players to share out the market, to examining allegations of accords on hiring practices and the exchange of sensitive commercial data.
"The European Commission carried out an inspection in Berlin and Barcelona offices," Delivery Hero told AFP. Glovo also separately confirmed the raid.
"The fact that the Commission carried out such an inspection does not mean that it has concluded that there is a real infringement of competition law and does not prejudge the results" of the probe, added the companies.
Barcelona-based Glovo was purchased in 2022 by Berlin-headquartered Delivery Hero.
In January, Glovo was fined €57 million by Spain's Labour Ministry for not giving its riders formal job contracts as required under a 2021 law and for giving gigs to nearly 800 irregular immigrants without work permits, a ministry spokesman said.
Under the so-called Rider Law that came into effect in August 2021, couriers who deliver food, mostly on bicycles and motorcycles, must be recognised as employees instead of being considered self-employed freelancers as before.
It is the first European legislation that explicitly regulates the status of delivery workers, who get around on bikes and motorcycles and whose numbers have exploded in recent years, despite precarious working conditions.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.