Instashop
Instashop is a UAE-founded online marketplace connecting consumers with grocery, retail, pharmacy, food, and other local merchants for on-demand and scheduled delivery.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Instashop is a digital commerce and delivery marketplace founded in Dubai in 2015 by Greek entrepreneurs John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki. The business was created to replace the slow, phone-based process traditionally used to order groceries from supermarkets and neighborhood shops. Its mobile-first service allows customers to browse participating merchants, place orders for everyday products, and receive deliveries either quickly or at a scheduled time. The platform began with online grocery delivery but expanded into a broader local-commerce marketplace. Its merchant network has included supermarkets, convenience retailers, pharmacies, butcheries, fresh-produce markets, pet stores, flower shops, restaurants, bakeries, beauty retailers, organic stores, and electronics outlets. This range positions Instashop less as a single-category grocery brand and more as an aggregator of local retail inventory and delivery capacity. The company serves consumers through a business-to-consumer model while also operating a business-to-business marketplace in which participating shops generally pay commissions on transactions fulfilled through the platform. Instashop obtained its first external financing in 2015 from Dubai-based Jabbar Internet Group and Greece-based VentureFriends. A follow-on financing round in 2016 reportedly brought total seed funding to approximately US$750,000. In October 2016, Souq.com acquired a significant minority stake. That investment supported geographic expansion beyond the United Arab Emirates, and by 2018 the service had reached Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, and Lebanon. Amazon’s 2017 acquisition of Souq.com subsequently connected Instashop indirectly to Amazon’s investment history, although Instashop remained a separate operating business. On 26 August 2020, Berlin-based Delivery Hero announced the acquisition of Instashop in a transaction reported at approximately US$360 million. Instashop continued to operate under its own brand and retained operational independence, including continuity in management at the time of the deal. The acquisition placed the company within Delivery Hero’s wider global food and local-commerce portfolio and strengthened its presence in Middle Eastern quick-commerce and retail delivery. Founder John Tsioris stepped down as chief executive in November 2023 and was succeeded by Nikola Cabarkapa. The business reported gross merchandise value of approximately US$631 million in 2024, a 16 percent increase from the previous year, according to the cited reference material. That figure was described as representing roughly 8 percent of Talabat’s overall 2024 GMV. In 2025, Talabat Holding acquired Instashop from Delivery Hero for a reported US$32 million, according to a regulatory filing. The transaction was characterized as an internal restructuring rather than a conventional arm’s-length expansion deal. Instashop continues to operate as an independent brand within Talabat’s Grocery and Retail vertical. Reference material also states that the acquisition was fully completed in March 2026. Because the supplied materials give both a 2025 transaction date and a March 2026 completion reference, the exact legal closing sequence should be checked against the relevant filing.
History
Instashop emerged in Dubai in 2015 from a practical problem identified by co-founder John Tsioris: ordering groceries from local stores by telephone was inefficient, slow, and difficult to manage. Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki developed a mobile-first marketplace intended to make everyday shopping more convenient. Rather than operating primarily as an inventory-owning retailer, Instashop connected users with existing supermarkets, neighborhood shops, and specialist merchants, coordinating order placement and delivery through a digital platform. The initial proposition focused on groceries and daily necessities. Over time, the service expanded its merchant categories to include pharmacies, butcheries, produce markets, pet shops, florists, restaurants, bakeries, beauty businesses, organic retailers, and electronics outlets. This expansion turned Instashop into a broader local-commerce platform capable of handling both immediate orders and scheduled deliveries. Its commercial model included business-to-consumer transactions as well as business-to-business relationships with merchants, which generally paid commissions for orders generated and delivered through the service. The company’s early financing came from Dubai’s Jabbar Internet Group and Greece-based VentureFriends. Instashop secured an initial seed investment in 2015 and a further round in 2016, with total seed-stage funding reported at approximately US$750,000. In October 2016, Souq.com acquired a significant minority stake. The investment supported the company’s regional development, and by 2018 Instashop had expanded from the UAE into Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, and Lebanon. Souq.com was acquired by Amazon in 2017, creating an indirect connection between Amazon and Instashop’s investor base without converting Instashop into an Amazon consumer brand. A major ownership change occurred in August 2020, when Delivery Hero acquired Instashop in a transaction reported at approximately US$360 million. Instashop remained recognizable as a standalone service after the transaction, and the brand’s management and operating model were not immediately replaced. Its integration into Delivery Hero’s portfolio reflected the growing strategic importance of grocery, convenience, and other rapid-delivery categories alongside restaurant delivery. Leadership changed in November 2023 when co-founder John Tsioris stepped down as chief executive. Nikola Cabarkapa became CEO. The company’s reported 2024 GMV was approximately US$631 million, representing 16 percent year-over-year growth and roughly 8 percent of Talabat’s reported overall GMV for that year. Talabat Holding later agreed to acquire Instashop from Delivery Hero for a reported US$32 million. The transaction was described as part of an internal group restructuring, with Instashop continuing as an independent brand in Talabat’s Grocery and Retail vertical. The supplied reference material identifies both February 2025 as the transaction announcement period and March 2026 as the date of full acquisition. The distinction between announcement, signing, regulatory completion, and legal closing requires verification from primary corporate filings.
- 2025
Talabat agrees to acquire Instashop
[1]Talabat Holding reportedly agreed to acquire Instashop from Delivery Hero for US$32 million as part of an internal restructuring.
- 2024
Reported GMV reaches approximately US$631 million
[1]Reported GMV increased 16 percent year over year.
- 2023
Change of chief executive
[1]Nikola Cabarkapa succeeded co-founder John Tsioris as CEO.
- 2020
Acquired by Delivery Hero
[1]Delivery Hero acquired Instashop in a reported transaction valued at approximately US$360 million.
- 2018
Regional expansion
[1]Instashop had expanded beyond the UAE into Qatar, Bahrain, Egypt, and Lebanon.
- 2016
Follow-on seed round
[1]A further financing round brought reported total seed investment to approximately US$750,000.
- 2016
Souq.com investment
[1]Souq.com took a significant minority stake in Instashop.
- 2015
Instashop founded in Dubai
[1]John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki founded Instashop as a mobile-first grocery delivery marketplace in the UAE.
- 2015
Initial external financing
[1]The company secured reported seed funding from Jabbar Internet Group and VentureFriends.
Products and positioning
A mobile-first, multi-category local-commerce marketplace that aggregates neighborhood retailers and provides fast or scheduled delivery across selected Middle Eastern markets.
Online grocery · 2015
Grocery and daily essentials marketplace
Instashop’s original and central service lets users order groceries and household necessities from supermarkets, convenience stores, and neighborhood retailers. Orders can be delivered on demand or scheduled for a later time, depending on merchant and market availability.
Health and beauty retail
Pharmacy and personal care
The marketplace includes participating pharmacies and personal-care merchants, extending the platform beyond food into health, hygiene, beauty, and everyday wellness purchases.
Local retail delivery
Fresh food and specialist retail
Instashop aggregates specialist local merchants such as butcheries, fresh-produce markets, bakeries, florists, pet shops, organic stores, and restaurants. This category breadth is a key part of its multi-category marketplace proposition.
Brand decisions
2025
Transfer to TalabatM&ABackground
Delivery Hero reorganized ownership of its Middle Eastern businesses and transferred Instashop to its MENA subsidiary Talabat.
Action taken
Talabat Holding reportedly agreed to acquire Instashop for US$32 million and planned to retain it as an independent brand within the Grocery and Retail vertical.
Aftermath
The move placed Instashop directly within Talabat’s regional grocery and retail structure. The supplied references describe full acquisition completion in March 2026, although the precise closing date should be verified.
Reported acquisition value. US$32 million (2025)
2023
Leadership transitionStrategyBackground
After several years of operation within Delivery Hero’s portfolio, Instashop changed its chief executive leadership.
Action taken
Co-founder John Tsioris stepped down as CEO and Nikola Cabarkapa became chief executive.
Aftermath
The brand continued operating across its regional marketplace and delivery categories under the new CEO.
2020
Delivery Hero acquisitionM&ABackground
Instashop had developed a regional marketplace spanning grocery and other local-retail categories in several Middle Eastern markets.
Action taken
Delivery Hero acquired Instashop in a transaction reported at approximately US$360 million while retaining the Instashop brand and a degree of operating independence.
Aftermath
Instashop became part of Delivery Hero’s wider MENA local-commerce portfolio and continued operating under its established name.
Reported acquisition value. US$360 million (2020)
Recent events
- 2025
Talabat Holding acquires Instashop from Delivery Hero[1]
M&A
Talabat Holding reportedly agreed to acquire Instashop for US$32 million in an internal restructuring involving Delivery Hero’s MENA operations.
- 2024
Instashop reports 2024 gross merchandise value growth[1]
Other
Instashop reportedly generated approximately US$631 million in GMV in 2024, up 16 percent year over year.
- 2023
John Tsioris steps down as chief executive[1]
Leadership change
Co-founder John Tsioris left the chief executive role and Nikola Cabarkapa succeeded him.
- 2020
Delivery Hero acquires Instashop[1]
M&A
Delivery Hero announced the acquisition of Instashop in a transaction reported at approximately US$360 million. Instashop continued to operate under its own brand.
- 2016
Instashop completes follow-on seed financing[1]
Other
A follow-on funding round reportedly brought Instashop’s total seed-stage investment to approximately US$750,000.
- 2016
Souq.com acquires a significant minority stake in Instashop[1]
M&A
Souq.com invested in Instashop, helping support the marketplace’s expansion beyond the UAE into additional Middle Eastern markets.
- 2015
Instashop raises seed financing from Jabbar Internet Group and VentureFriends[1]
Other
The Dubai-based grocery delivery startup secured its first reported external financing from Jabbar Internet Group and VentureFriends.
Sources3 sources
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