Uber Shuts Down Its Alcohol Delivery Service

Uber is shutting down the alcohol delivery service Drizly just three years after it was acquired for $1.1 billion, the company has announced. Drizly is an online ordering and delivery platform that facilitates alcohol delivery from local retailers via its mobile app or website. 

Drizly, which was acquired by Uber in 2021, announced on social media Monday that its services will shut down at the end of March. During the early days of the pandemic, Uber leaned heavily on its delivery services to supplement its ridesharing income slowdown.

Drizly currently delivers beer, wine, and spirits in states where they’re legal. It also partners with certain retailers across North America to provide customers with their beverages of choice.

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— Drizly (@Drizly) January 16, 2024

In a prepared statement to The Washington Post, Uber’s senior vice president of delivery, Pierre Dimitri Gore-Coty, said that the company decided to close Drizly’s business and “focus on our core Uber Eats strategy of helping consumers get almost anything — from food to groceries to alcohol — all on a single app.”

In a push to consolidate Uber’s product delivery offerings into Uber Eats, the company is ending its grocery shopping app, Cornershop. Groceries and alcohol are still available for delivery on Uber Eats.

“We’re grateful to the Drizly team for their many contributions to the growth of the BevAlc delivery category as the original industry pioneer,” Gore-Coty added in his statement.

In a post on X, the company explained the steps it will take before shutting down completely. First, orders will remain open until the end of March.

Second, they shared that the drink section of Uber Eats is still up and running. It will be able to pick up where Drizly leaves off.

Finally, for its loyal customers, Drizly will offer promotions for Uber Eats. These should appear in customers’ inboxes in the coming weeks.