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Deliveroo’s exit a reality check for Singapore’s convenience economy

The natural state of food delivery may be one with fewer players.

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For nearly a decade, food delivery was remarkably cheap.

For nearly a decade, food delivery was remarkably cheap.

ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG

Sumit Agarwal

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Deliveroo’s decision to

shut its Singapore operations

has prompted

predictable concerns

: riders worry about income, consumers wonder if prices will tick upwards, and competition advocates worry about market concentration.

But this is not simply a story about one platform leaving. It is a signal that Singapore’s convenience economy is repricing labour, risk and scale, and that adjustment was always coming.

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