Stuart has announced the withdrawal of its delivery service in Spain and Portugal. The delivery platform has published a statement in which it explains that the territory has ceased to be strategic due to inflation and the Spanish rider law, which since 2021 requires self-employed delivery drivers to be converted into employees.
In Spain, the company operates in the cities of Barcelona, Madrid, Zaragoza, Bilbao and Valencia. The company has not communicated the number of people affected by this decision. Sources from the UGT and CGT unions point out that the number of affected workers is approximately 200. Of this total, 85% are couriers and 15% are office and warehouse workers.
In a statement in English, Stuart has said that she has initiated the procedures to apply an Employment Regulation File (ERE) and that, in compliance with the legal requirements, she is open to collaborating with the works council to agree on the conditions of dismissal. . Union sources have indicated that the negotiations could last between two and three months, so this process should come to an end in the summer.
According to the company, the cessation of service in Spain does not affect the activity of the Barcelona technology center that provides service globally. On the other hand, union sources assure that a part of the workforce will lose their jobs. The number of workers at this center exceeds 200 people, say CGT sources. The company has refused to share this figure. Last year he said the workforce amounted to 250 people.
With this decision, Stuart ends almost 10 years of service in Spain. Founded between Paris and Barcelona by entrepreneurs Clément Benoit and Benjamin Chemla, the startup has always differentiated itself from other platforms by operating only with companies (restaurants, shops, supermarkets) and not with the end consumer.
In 2017, Stuart was acquired by the French group Geopost (owner of Seur and manager of the French postal service La Poste), which had previously entered the startup as an investor. The property remained in the hands of this French group until the end of last year, when the sale of Stuart to the Mutares investment fund, based in Germany and specialized in refloating companies, was revealed.
Thereafter, Cornelia Raportaru took over from Matthieu Gonnet as CEO. Yesterday the new director said: “These decisions are not made lightly, but they are essential to safeguard our long-term sustainability.” The company is now betting on more profitable markets, such as the United Kingdom, France, Poland and Italy.
In Spain, the company had a turnover of 29.9 million euros and recorded net losses of 2.7 million in fiscal year 2022, the last with the accounts published in the Commercial Registry. In the previous four years, the company never recorded net profit
