Dutch food delivery service giant Takeaway.com has bought German home delivery companies Lieferheld, pizza.de and Foodora from its German competitor Delivery Hero for €930m in a cash share deal.

The agreement gives Delivery Hero an 18% stake in Takeaway.com, which operates the Thuisbezorgd.nl label in the Netherlands.

The three German units delivered 23 million meals in the first nine months of this year and booked turnover of €76m.

The deal gives the company a strong position on the German market, chief executive Jitse Groen said. ‘We can offer customers and restaurants a better product and we are working on a much bigger scale, which is essential for profitability.

Groen set up Thuisbezorgd.nl – now Takeaway.com – in 2000 when he was a 21-year-old student. The company now operates in 12 European companies.