Deliveroo picks London for IPO after listings review

Deliveroo has chosen London for its highly anticipated initial public offering after Rishi Sunak, the UK chancellor, endorsed an overhaul of listing rules to allow founders to retain more control after going public. 

The multibillion-pound IPO is expected to be among London’s largest this year, handing the City a much-needed win over New York and Amsterdam at a time of feverish activity in new tech listings. 

“Deliveroo is proud to be a British company, and the selection of London as its home for any future listing reflects Deliveroo’s continued commitment to the UK,” said Claudia Arney, Deliveroo’s chair. 

Deliveroo’s decision follows the publication on Wednesday of a review by Lord Jonathan Hill, former EU financial services commissioner, which recommended a wide range of reforms to loosen listing rules in the UK. 

Among Hill’s recommendations were proposals to allow dual-class share structures, which allow founders to hold on to extra voting rights after an IPO, to be used by companies trading on the London Stock Exchange’s “premium” segment. The dual-class arrangement is popular in Silicon Valley, where it is used by companies including Facebook and Google parent Alphabet. 

The move, which Sunak endorsed during Wednesday’s Budget, was designed to attract fast-growing tech companies such as Deliveroo, though some London fund managers fear the change puts shareholder protection at risk.

Deliveroo said in a statement on Thursday morning that its dual-class structure would be “closely in line” with the Hill review’s recommendations and be limited to three years. However, the changes are unlikely to come into force before it has completed its IPO, with initial paperwork expected to be filed as soon as next week.

Companies with dual-class structures can already trade on the LSE’s standard listing. Once the new rules are in place, Deliveroo would be able to move up to a premium listing. A person close to the company said that the Hill review was also likely to attract more tech companies to London, making it more attractive as a listing venue overall.

“Alongside the dual-class share structure, Deliveroo intends to have a strong commitment to corporate governance standards including a majority independent board of directors as well as upholding diversity standards,” the company said. 

Will Shu, Deliveroo’s co-founder and chief executive, said he was “proud and excited” to list in London, where the company first began making restaurant deliveries in 2013. 

Sunak hailed the decision as “fantastic”. 

“Deliveroo has created thousands of jobs and is a true British tech success story,” he said in a statement. “It is great news that the next stage of their growth will be on the public markets in the UK.”

Arney added: “London is not just where Deliveroo was born, it is one of the leading capital markets in the world, with an incredible technology ecosystem, sophisticated investment community and a skilled talent pool. The time-limited dual-class structure would provide Will and his team with the certainty needed to execute against their ambitious growth plan to become the definitive online food company.”