FILE PHOTO: The Delivery Hero headquarters are pictured in Berlin, Germany, August 18, 2020. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch/File Photo

European antitrust authorities have searched the headquarters of the Berlin group Delivery Hero. The listed company based on Oranienburger Strasse in Mitte operates platforms for delivery services in various international markets. According to the Reuters news agency, the searches took place last week. Rooms of the Spanish delivery service Glovo in Barcelona were also searched.

A spokeswoman for the European Commission said that unannounced inspections had been carried out in two EU member states at the premises of companies “operating in the field of online ordering and delivery of groceries and other consumer goods”. The spokeswoman did not confirm that it was Delivery Hero and Glovo.

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The Commission has “concerns” that the companies concerned may have violated Article 101 of the EU Treaty, which prohibits cartels and anti-competitive business practices. During the searches, the commission officials were accompanied by forces from the responsible national competition authorities.

Delivery Hero only announced on Monday that it would take over its previous competitor Glovo into the group of companies. Glovo is mainly active in the Mediterranean region. Both companies confirmed to the Tagesspiegel that the searches had taken place and announced that they were cooperating with the authorities.

Delivery Hero currently does not operate any delivery services in Germany. Last summer, the group launched the Foodpanda brand in Berlin and other cities. But after just one year, Delivery Hero boss Niklas Östberg invested in competitor Gorillas, and shortly thereafter Foodpanda withdrew from Germany.