Deliveroo plans to hire 300 more technology workers in London

[LONDON] Deliveroo, a London-based maker of an app for ordering take-out food, plans to hire 300 more technology workers as it seeks to take on rivals in an increasingly competitive sector.

The majority of the new jobs will be in high-skill roles, such as software engineering, according to a company statement Wednesday.

The hires will significantly expand Deliveroo's presence in London. The company employs a 125-strong tech team, and plans to move soon into a new headquarters in the city's financial district. A person familiar with the situation said in December that the company was considering doubling its London headquarters work force.

Deliveroo, which raised US$275 million in August, also said global orders on the platform grew 650 per cent in 2016. The company's UK entity posted losses of £18.1 million (S$31.79 million) in 2015, according to the latest set of accounts filed with the Companies House registry.

Deliveroo rival Just Eat Plc forked out £200 million in December to buy online food-delivery company Hungryhouse from Delivery Hero Holding GmbH.

Amazon.com Inc and Uber Technologies Inc have also extended their restaurant-delivery service to London over the past year.

The Deliveroo announcement also comes a day after UK Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to quit the European Union single market and reduce immigration. A significant proportion of London's tech workers come from elsewhere in the EU, with 40 per cent of London startups having at least one founder from overseas, according to a recent survey from Balderton Capital, a UK venture capital investor.

"The government needs to make it easier, not harder, to attract highly skilled talent," said Gerard Grech, Chief Executive Officer of government body Tech City UK, in an e-mailed statement.

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