Instacart Is Reportedly Exploring a Sale, With DoorDash and Uber Said to Have Held Talks

Instacart, the company that put grocery delivery in millions of phones, may be for sale. On Friday, reports said it had hired an investment bank to look at its options and had sounded out two of the biggest names in delivery. By the close, its shares had climbed more than 9 per cent while the shares of the two possible buyers fell.

Nothing is agreed. Instacart declined to comment, and the talks are described as early ones that may lead nowhere, according to TechCrunch.

What has been reported about an Instacart sale?

The Information reported on Friday 23 October that Instacart was exploring a sale, was working with a bank, and had held preliminary talks with DoorDash. Bloomberg reported that it had also spoken to Uber, and that Uber walked away from those discussions, TechCrunch says. A write-up by 24/7 Wall St. on Yahoo Finance adds that other conversations are said to be continuing, and that no company has confirmed talks or made a bid.

How did the shares react?

Instacart (CART) closed up $4.76, or 9.21 per cent, at $56.44, just under its 52-week high, per 24/7 Wall St. Investing.com also put the gain at 9.2 per cent, and said both Uber and DoorDash shares touched session lows. TechCrunch puts Instacart's market value above $13 billion and says the stock is up 25 per cent this year. Investing.com cites about $12 billion, and calculates that a typical takeover premium of 30 to 40 per cent would imply $16 billion to $17 billion. That is the outlet's own illustration, not a reported price.

Why might Instacart sell now?

Growth has cooled since its 2023 listing. Investing.com says revenue growth slowed to 11 per cent in both 2024 and 2025, against 28 per cent at DoorDash last year. The company is still profitable: 24/7 Wall St. reports free cash flow of $480 million on second-quarter revenue of $1.043 billion, up 14 per cent. TechCrunch suggests Instacart could see this as a good moment to sell at a good price, before grocery delivery gets more crowded.

Would regulators allow it?

That is the main question for any deal. DoorDash discussed buying Instacart in 2021, at a reported $40 billion to $50 billion, and those talks collapsed partly over antitrust worries, according to Investing.com. A DoorDash purchase would join the two largest players in a business where they already overlap. Analyst Zak Stambor, quoted by 24/7 Wall St., said the current administration has shown more willingness to approve deals, possibly with divestitures. Investing.com notes that Instacart's existing tie-up with Uber, which lets customers order Uber Eats inside the Instacart app, gives Uber a closer commercial link.

The next date to watch is 5 November, when Instacart reports its quarterly results. A company that is quietly shopping itself usually says little in advance, so any confirmation, denial or bid is more likely to come from the next leak than from the earnings call.