GLA & Company is pleased to announce that it has advised Deliveroo on the conclusion of a commercial referral arrangement in Kuwait, leveraging our market-leading Kuwait practice and strong working relationships with the Kuwait Competition Protection Authority (“CPA”) and other regulators, including the negotiation and drafting of the referral agreement and the submission of a competition law exemption request to the CPA.

The matter relates to a structured referral agreement pursuant to which Cari’s customers are referred to Deliveroo, with eligible Cari customers benefiting from a promotional package that includes six months of complimentary Deliveroo Plus Gold membership and a KD 10 voucher bundle. In line with Kuwait’s competition law requirements, the arrangement was notified to the CPA by way of an exemption request.

GLA & Company played a central role in advising on the competition law aspects of the transaction, assisting with the negotiation and drafting of the referral agreement to ensure compliance with applicable competition and local regulatory requirements, and leveraging our longstanding rapport with the CPA, as well as preparing and submitting the exemption filing to the CPA. The engagement reflects the increasing importance of competition-compliant structuring of commercial collaborations in Kuwait’s fast-growing digital and consumer services sectors.

GLA & Company’s Kuwait antitrust and competition team, led by Head of Antitrust and Competition Asad Ahmad, with support from Associate Khaled Al Makhezeem and Trainee Lawyer Liana Rashid, represented Deliveroo throughout the transaction, providing strategic regulatory advice and supporting the implementation of the commercial arrangement in Kuwait.

Commenting on the matter, Managing Partner, Alex Saleh stated that “This transaction demonstrates the importance of embedding competition law considerations at the structuring and drafting stage of innovative commercial partnerships. We are pleased to have supported Deliveroo in concluding this referral arrangement and in engaging proactively with the CPA through the exemption process.”

GLA & Company is the trusted advisor of choice on competition and antitrust matters in Kuwait, underpinned by deep market expertise and strong relationships with key regulatory bodies, advising multinational and regional clients on merger control, commercial arrangements, and regulatory compliance across a wide range of sectors.

For more information, please feel free to contact our Head of Antitrust and Competition, Asad Ahmad.