Deliveroo appoints Next boss Simon Wolfson to board
Deliveroo has appointed Next chief executive Lord Simon Wolfson to its board as a non-executive director.
Wolfson, who has led the high street fashion chain since 2001, took up the role this week.
It comes as the food delivery platform gears up for what could be the largest initial public offering of the year.
Deliveroo this weekend said it had secured $180m (£132m) in fresh funding from existing investors, taking its valuation to more than $7bn.
The board appointment will bolster the company’s leadership ahead of its London listing, which is expected to be launched in April.
Deliveroo last year tapped former Premier League director Claudia Arney as its first chair and recently appointed Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Citi, Jefferies and Numis to work on the listing.
The investment banks will work under Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan on the bumper float, Sky News reported.
Deliveroo had a stellar 2020 as consumers turned to the takeaway app as their favourite restaurants and pubs were forced to close their doors due to lockdown.
The company, which now has more than 140,000 restaurants on its platform, said it expected increased growth in 2021 and beyond.
It will now focus on expanding its Editions kitchen-only delivery sites, building its grocery offering and extending its Plus subscription service.
Founder and chief executive Will Shu said Wolfson would bring “great knowledge and insight” to the company.
“We are looking forward to working with him as we continue to innovate, developing new tech tools to support restaurants, to provide riders with more work and to extend choice for customers, bringing them the food they love from more restaurants than ever before,” he said.