Prosus has reported a sharp rise in earnings as the technology investor accelerates its turnaround of Eat Takeaway, signalling confidence that artificial intelligence and operational changes can revive growth at the food delivery platform.
Prosus has posted a strong increase in profits as it steps up efforts to transform Eat Takeaway following its £3.6 billion acquisition of the business.
The Amsterdam-listed technology investor reported an 84 per cent rise in adjusted earnings to $1.3 billion (£1 billion) over the past year, underlining the contribution of its growing portfolio of digital businesses.
Just Eat Takeaway generated $1.9 billion (£1.44 billion) in revenue during the six months since joining the Prosus group, while recording adjusted earnings of $83 million (£62.8 million).
The results provide the clearest indication yet that Prosus believes its restructuring programme is gaining traction.
Management said an operational turnaround is underway, with the company reshaping its culture, accelerating technology investment and sharpening its focus on markets capable of delivering stronger returns.
Early pilot schemes have produced encouraging results, with selected cities recording order growth of up to 25 per cent after operational changes were introduced.
The strategy forms part of Prosus’s wider ambition to build what it describes as an AI-powered consumer ecosystem spanning food delivery, online marketplaces and digital services.
Artificial intelligence is expected to play an increasingly central role in that strategy.
The company has invested heavily in AI capabilities. It has developed its own artificial intelligence agent, OpenClaw, although the technology has attracted scrutiny in parts of Europe over data privacy concerns.
Alongside Eat Takeaway, Prosus owns the Brazilian food delivery platform iFood and the online marketplace OLX, helping to drive a 57 per cent increase in group revenues over the past financial year.
Chief executive Fabricio Bloisi said the business had moved rapidly from an ambition to create an integrated AI ecosystem to delivering a platform that is now expanding at scale.
Chief financial officer Nico Marais said the company would continue investing in both Eat Takeaway and iFood while pursuing further growth opportunities and returning capital to shareholders through its buyback programme.
For investors, the challenge now is whether Prosus can convert early operational improvements into sustained profitability in a food delivery market that remains fiercely competitive and under constant pressure to balance customer growth with higher margins.
The coming year will provide an important test of whether technology-led efficiency gains can deliver the next phase of growth for one of Europe’s largest food delivery businesses.
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