Uber is about to acquire a big US alcohol delivery service for $1.1bn

Uber has announced that it will acquire Drizly, an alcohol delivery service that offers on-demand access to adult beverages in hundreds of markets across the US. The Drizly platform itself won't be going away, but Uber notes that in the future, it will integrate the alcohol delivery platform with its own Uber Eats delivery service.

According to Uber, it has agreed to acquire Drizly for around $1.1 billion in the form of cash and stock. Once the acquisition is complete, Drizly will become a wholly-owned Uber subsidiary, eventually making its way within the Uber Eats app while also remaining available through the standalone Drizly mobile app.

Once the integration arrives, Uber Eats users will have greatly expanded on-demand alcohol delivery options — while you can currently get alcohol delivered with your Uber Eats order, it comes from the restaurant you order your meals from, assuming they offer such products.

Drizly, meanwhile, is a platform through which you can order wine, beer, liquor, and other alcoholic goods from local stores and have them delivered on your behalf using a Drizly delivery driver. Once the platform is integrated with Uber Eats, you'll be able to place the same type of orders through that platform.

Drizly currently offers alcohol delivery in around 1,400 cities spanning most of the US. Assuming the regulatory approval and other business matters are settled as expected, Uber says the acquisition deal will likely close sometime in the first half of this year.