Cutting losses, then managing an orderly market exit
Just Eat France (Just Eat Takeaway.com) — Managing Director France, August 2023 – July 2025
Context
- Arrival. In August 2023 I took over the third-largest meal delivery platform in France.
- Heritage. The business grew out of AlloResto, founded in 1998 (Snacking, in French).
- A salaried delivery model. In Paris, Just Eat was the only player employing salaried couriers.
- A handicap against competitors. Uber Eats and Deliveroo, which rely on self-employed riders, had a larger presence.
- The group’s decision. In July 2024, Just Eat Takeaway.com, listed in Amsterdam, announced its intention to leave the French market (RetailDetail).
Decisions
- Commercial reset.
- commercial, marketing and contractual policies overhauled;
- a selective positioning, focused on the quality of the offer rather than the number of listed brands.
- Cost reduction.
- renegotiation of the main supplier contracts;
- closure of the Paris delivery subsidiary (Scoober), which employed about a hundred people, mostly couriers (Le Figaro, in French).
- Managing the exit.
- negotiation of a job-protection plan (PSE) with employee representatives, approved at the end of December 2024 and carried out in 2025;
- full operational and financial wind-down.
- Communication. Sensitive communication managed in direct coordination with the group.
- In the field. A bike delivery every Wednesday.
Results
- Operating losses. Divided by three in less than a year.
- Closure.
- Operations ended on 9 December 2024 (Au cœur du CHR, in French).
- The wind-down was executed without operational disruption.
- PSE. Negotiated with employee representatives, approved at the end of December 2024, carried out in 2025.
What I take from it
- A market exit is an operating project, not just a legal one. Customers, partner restaurants and employees must be served until the last day.
- In a market where scale drives profitability, the number three has to choose. It either differentiates sharply or exits on good terms.
- In a closure, teams’ trust is earned through a transparent timetable and by keeping the commitments made.
In the press
- « S’il y a de la place aujourd’hui pour un 3e opérateur, différent et sélectif, nous serons celui-là. » (Snacking, November 2023, in French)
- “7 Questions on Leadership with Emmanuel Aublet” (Consult Clarity, October 2023)
Other cases: Subway: growing · Pizza Hut: turning around
All press coverage · Back to home