Gorillas
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
Gorillas was a Berlin-based ultrafast grocery delivery company founded in May 2020 by Jorg Kattner, Kagan Sumer and Ronny Shibley. Users ordered grocery products through the Gorillas app, which fulfilled orders in minutes from a network of urban dark stores. It grew rapidly during the pandemic, was valued at $2.1 billion in 2021, and employed about 10,000 people before being acquired by Turkish rival Getir in December 2022.
02 / Gorillas FAILURE REASONS
Failure reasons
Gorillas' ultrafast grocery model collapsed after the pandemic: the dark-store network and heavy promo spending created huge operating costs, while demand fell as lockdowns lifted, venture funding dried up and cities restricted dark stores. The company laid off hundreds of employees and exited lower-revenue markets including Italy, Spain, Belgium and Denmark, before being sold in a distressed consolidation to Getir in December 2022 for about $1.2 billion, well below its $2.1 billion 2021 valuation. Getir later withdrew from Europe and closed the Gorillas brand in May 2024.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Founded
Gorillas was founded in Berlin in May 2020 as an ultrafast grocery delivery company operating dark stores.
- Peak valuation
Gorillas was valued at $2.1 billion in a 2021 financing round led by Delivery Hero.
- Acquired by Getir
In December 2022 Getir acquired Gorillas for about $1.2 billion; several Gorillas investors were paid $40 million in cash plus Getir equity, and the combined business was valued at around $10 billion.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
Gorillas was founded in Berlin in May 2020 and grew rapidly during the pandemic with ultrafast grocery delivery from dark stores, reaching a $2.1 billion valuation in 2021.
- 02
In 2022 the company faced a funding crunch, laid off hundreds of employees and exited markets including Italy, Belgium and Spain.
- 03
In December 2022 Turkish rival Getir acquired Gorillas for about $1.2 billion in a distressed consolidation.
- 04
In April-May 2024 Getir announced its exit from Europe, closing the Gorillas brand and laying off about 1,800 warehouse workers in Germany.