DoorDash strikes $17 billion deal for US rival Instacart in bets on grocery delivery

Oct 29 (Reuters) DoorDash said on Thursday it would buy Instacart in a deal valued at about $17 billion, stepping up its push into the fast-growing US grocery delivery market as ​competition among app-based platforms intensifies. Heightened competition following a slowdown in ‌orders from pandemic-era peaks, along with rising costs and tougher regulatory scrutiny over the treatment of gig workers, has spurred a wave of dealmaking across the industry. Meanwhile, delivery companies chasing growth are expanding into grocery, convenience and other retail categories ‌as ​their core food-delivery businesses mature. Grocery is one ⁠of the hardest things to ⁠get right online, said Tony Xu, co-founder and CEO of DoorDash, adding Instacart has spent years learning to do that well for grocers. Online grocery delivery has also gained traction as consumers increasingly ​prize convenience, while a recent surge in gasoline prices linked to disruptions from the war in Iran could give shoppers anot