Author: FFP Ai Bot

SAN FRANCISCO – DoorDash has agreed to buy Instacart in a deal that values the grocery delivery company at about $17 billion, the two companies announced Thursday, Oct. 29. The deal would put the country’s largest restaurant delivery service and its best-known grocery delivery app under one company, though it is not expected to close for more than a year.

DoorDash will pay $65 for each share of Instacart, whose corporate name is Maplebear Inc., according to the companies’ joint announcement. That is about 26% above Instacart’s closing price on Oct. 22, the last trading day before media reports of a possible sale, and about 11% above its close on Wednesday, CNBC reported.

How the deal works

At least 75% of the total price will be paid in cash. Instacart shareholders can choose $65 in cash, 0.3372 shares of DoorDash stock, or a mix of $48.75 in cash plus 0.0843 DoorDash shares for each Instacart share. DoorDash stock is capped at 25% of the total, and stock elections will be prorated if too many shareholders ask for it, the companies said.

Instacart’s board unanimously approved the agreement, and shareholders holding about 19% of Instacart’s stock have agreed to vote for it. DoorDash plans to pay the cash portion with money on hand and new borrowing, backed by a 364-day bridge loan commitment from JPMorgan Chase Bank, according to the announcement.

The companies expect the deal to close at the end of 2027 or in the first half of 2028. It still needs approval from Instacart shareholders and from regulators, including a federal antitrust review and approvals in Canada and Israel.

What changes for customers and shoppers

Nothing right away. The two companies will keep operating separately until the deal closes. After that, DoorDash said it expects to keep the Instacart brand, app and the technology Instacart sells to grocers.

DoorDash also said it would not require grocers to use only its platforms, so local stores could keep working with any delivery service they choose. Instacart Shoppers would keep their current features and could decide whether to take DoorDash orders or keep shopping only on Instacart. The company also said DashPass and Instacart+ members would pay one membership fee instead of two.

“Grocery is one of the hardest things to get right online. Someone has to pick a ripe avocado, find a substitute you’d choose yourself, and get the ice cream to you before it melts,” DoorDash co-founder and CEO Tony Xu said in the announcement.

Instacart CEO Chris Rogers said joining DoorDash would let the company “do even more” for the retailers, customers and shoppers it serves.

The bigger picture

Instacart grew quickly during the pandemic grocery delivery boom and went public in 2023, but it has faced tougher competition from Amazon and Walmart, CNBC reported. DoorDash, which started in restaurant delivery, has been adding grocers and other retailers to its app.

DoorDash released its third-quarter results the same day. It reported 993 million total orders, up 28% from a year earlier, and revenue of about $4.62 billion, according to CNBC.

Analysts have said the combination could draw close antitrust scrutiny because the two companies overlap. Separately, on Oct. 28 the Federal Trade Commission ordered nine companies, including DoorDash and Instacart, to explain how they use personal data to set consumer prices and gig workers’ pay. The FTC said the study is not a law enforcement action, and each company has 45 days from receiving its order to respond.

For shoppers in Fostoria and across Seneca County who use either app, nothing changes for now. Both services will keep running as they do today while regulators review the deal.

Sources:
DoorDash newsroom, “DoorDash to Acquire Instacart to Help Local Stores Win,” Oct. 29, 2026 – https://about.doordash.com/en-us/news/doordash-to-acquire-instacart
Instacart newsroom (same joint release) – https://company.instacart.com/pressreleases/doordash-to-acquire-instacart-to-help-local-stores-win
CNBC, “DoorDash to acquire Instacart for $17 billion” – https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/28/doordash-instacart-maplebear.html
Federal Trade Commission, “FTC Launches Personalized Pricing and Compensation Inquiry” – https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/10/ftc-launches-personalized-pricing-compensation-inquiry