The chief operating officer of Deliveroo is departing from the company after four years to relocate to the US.
This week is Eric French’s last at the company, after he posted on LinkedIn he was leaving the aggregator app to “explore my next chapter”. His successor in the COO role is yet to be announced.
The move comes just weeks after US food delivery giant DoorDash’s bid to acquire Deliveroo for £2.9bn was approved by the boards of both companies.
French joined Deliveroo as chief marketplace officer in 2021 from Amazon, where he was vice president of consumables in the US. He became COO after a year with the company.
French said that Deliveroo when he started compared to how it was today was “a funny combination of unrecognisably different and exactly the same”. On the one hand it had transformed from “a private company in hyper-investment mode” to a “free cash flow positive, public company with significantly more process and discipline”.
“For all that’s changed, what makes Deliveroo special are the things that haven’t,” French said. “The core elements of Deliveroo’s culture – customer centricity, detail-orientation, the desire to win, and relentlessness – are what drew me to the company. They remain the DNA of the company, and I have no doubt that without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”
It is understood French first discussed his desire to leave with CEO Will Shu in autumn last year.
“Even with a long transition, moments like this still sneak up on you,” French said.
A Deliveroo spokeswoman thanked French for “scaling the grocery business and playing a leadership role in helping the company reach key financial milestones”.
“We are very grateful for all of Eric’s significant contributions to Deliveroo and wish him all the very best for the future,” she added.
In its full-year results in March, Deliveroo revealed it achieved its first-ever annual profit last year and was expecting more growth despite an uncertain consumer environment.
Non-takeaway food has been a major driver of that growth. Grocery now accounts for 16% of the company’s global GTV. Deliveroo has also doubled the number of non-food retail sites trading on the platform.
In March, Deliveroo CEO Will Shu quashed reports he could be stepping down from the role following media speculation.
“I’m not. You’re hearing it from me,” he told The Grocer. “I’m running this company. I’m excited about it. You’ve heard all the cool stuff we’re doing. That’s what’s ultimately motivating to me.”
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