Deliveroo is deliverooted down under

Digital food delivery firm Deliveroo is pulling out of Australia due to tough economic conditions. It notified its customers this afternoon in an email that it had tipped its local operation into administration.

It's bad news for the more than 14000 drivers and riders, and likewise more than 10000 food vendors, although Menulog, DoorDash, and Uber Eats will likely take up the slack quickly.

According to the correspondence, "We have today made the sad announcement that we are leaving Australia. This has been a difficult decision to make. We have enjoyed serving you the amazing food that Australia is known for, working with thousands of brilliant restaurants and riders. "

"Deliveroo, like all other companies, is now doing business in challenging economic conditions, which requires us to take difficult decisions. We always aim to deliver the best possible service for our consumers wherever we operate, and if we cannot do that we will be prepared to review our position."

The company said it concluded that it would be unable to achieve a sustainable position of leadership in the market "without a disproportionate level of investment which would have highly uncertain returns. "

Michael Korda, Andrew Knight and Craig Shepard of KordaMentha have been appointed as voluntary administrators

Customers can no longer place orders with the service.

"You will still be able to access your customer account for up to 6 months from this date onwards. After this period your customer account will be closed. Within this period while your account is open, you can download your customer information."