France designates “dark stores” run by Gorillas, Getir, and other instant delivery startups as warehouses, not shops, forcing them to close in some cities (Hugh Schofield/BBC)

Bloomberg:
Sources: Istanbul-based delivery startup Getir is in advanced talks to acquire Berlin-based Gorillas in a cash and equity deal; Getir raised $768M in March  —  Getir, the Istanbul-based delivery startup, is in advanced talks to buy rival Gorillas Technologies GmbH, people familiar with the matter said.

Bloomberg:
A look at delivery startup Gopuff’s rise, reaching 165 warehouses covering 600 US cities by 2020 and a $15B valuation by 2021, and fall, as pandemic trends fade  —  Gopuff’s 10,000-square-foot warehouse in downtown Philadelphia sits right at the intersection of hedonism and sloth.

Bettina Makalintal / Eater:
Instagram food photography is becoming more realistic, driven by generational changes, more diverse food creators, and a frustration with the curation culture  —  The food blogger aesthetic has given way to something more realistic and DIY: Laissez-faire Instagram food is here

Shaji Mathew / Bloomberg:
Saudi Arabian food delivery service Jahez agrees to acquire local rival The Chefz for ~$173M in a cash and stock deal  —  Saudi food delivery firm Jahez agreed to acquire The Chefz in a cash and stock deal, almost a year after Delivery Hero SE’s attempt to buy the firm was thwarted by the local competition watchdog.

Zecharias Zelalem / Context:
The UN Food Programme and the WHO say a nearly two-year internet and phone shutdown in Ethiopia’s Tigray region is hampering aid delivery and health monitoring  —  What’s the context?  —  As fighting rages on in Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region, one of the world’s longest telecommunications shutdowns …

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Amazon will shut down its food delivery business in India on December 29, after launching it in May 2020 in Bengaluru, as part of a broader restructuring  —  Amazon will shut down its food delivery business in India by the end of the year, the retailer said Friday, retreating from a vertical it entered less than three years ago.