Jitse Groen

Jitse Groen
Groen in 2015
Born (1978-06-02) 2 June 1978 (age 46)
Delft, Netherlands
EducationUniversity of Twente
OccupationBusinessman
TitleFounder and CEO, Takeaway.com

Jitse Groen (born 2 June 1978) is a Dutch businessman and the founder of Takeaway.com, a food delivery platform. He is the chief executive officer of Just Eat Takeaway.com.

Early life

[edit]

Groen was born in Delft in 1978 and raised in the villages Kolhorn and 't Veld. His mother worked as a teacher and his father was an automation engineer.[1] He studied business information technology at the University of Twente, but never completed his bachelor's degree.[2][3]

Career

[edit]

Groen founded Takeaway.com (originally known as Thuisbezorgd.nl) in 2000,[4] at the age of 21, while he was a student in Business Information Technology at the University of Twente.[5] He came up with the idea for his business after being unable to get a takeaway delivery in North Holland for a birthday celebration with his family. The nearest options for takeaway delivery were in Amsterdam, which was about 60 kilometres (37 mi) away.[2] It was not until 2003 that Groen quit his study as Takeaway.com entered a critical growth phase.[6] In 2012, Groen raised €13 million to expand it as Takeaway.com to other countries.[2] Groen took Takeaway.com public on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange in 2016,[4] in order to fund expansion of Takeaway.com in Germany and other European countries.[2]

In 2018, Groen took over Takeaway.com's main competitors in Germany from Delivery Hero.[7] When Takeaway.com merged with British company Just Eat in 2020, Groen became chief executive of the merged organisation.[8][9] Groen also owns 11.3% of the merged business;[10] he previously owned 35% of Takeaway.com.[11] In 2017, Quote magazine listed Groen as the Netherlands' richest self-made millionaire under 40.[12] In 2018, he became a billionaire, as the interest on his Takeaway.com shares was over 1 billion euros.[12] In 2021, Groen announced that all Just Eat workers would be entitled to minimum pay, sick pay and paid holiday, rather than being classed as gig workers.[13]

In 2021 Groen responded to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who criticized Groen for focusing his attention on his company's share price, by writing: "Start paying taxes, minimum wage and social security premiums before giving a founder advice on how he should run his business."[14][15]

In 2020 Groen announced plans to bring to an end the use of gig workers at his company, stating that "We want to be certain they do have benefits, that we do pay taxes on those workers."[16] In 2023 it was announced that the company would return to an entirely self-employed gig worker model in Britain, a decision impacting around 1,870 workers who were given six weeks notice that they would no longer be employed on full contracts.[17]

As of October 2021, his net worth was estimated at US$1.2 billion,[3] although this has since dropped to US$350 million as of June 2022.[18]

Personal life

[edit]

Groen lives in the Netherlands.[3] In 2017, he bought a 9 bedroom house in Noordwijk that had had a guide price of €10.25 million.[12] His hobby is flying and he has a pilot licence.[1] Few details about Groen's personal life are publicly known.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b "CEO Thuisbezorgd.nl: 'Bijblijven wordt steeds moeilijker'" [CEO Thuisbezorgd.nl: ‘Keeping up becomes ever more difficult’].
  2. ^ a b c d e "In het nieuws: Jitse Groen (CEO Takeaway.com)". MT.nl (in Dutch). 30 July 2018. Archived from the original on 29 August 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  3. ^ a b c "Forbes profile: Jitse Groen". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 June 2020. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  4. ^ a b Sachmechi, Natalie. "Meet the World's 178 Newest Billionaires". Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  5. ^ "Jitse Groen is ruim €1,2 miljard waard, nu het aandeel van Takeaway op het hoogste punt ooit staat". Business Insider (in Dutch). 12 June 2019. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  6. ^ "'Ik had een idioot lange aanlooptijd nodig'". Emerce (in Dutch). Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  7. ^ "Delivery Hero sells German operations to Takeaway.com". FT.com. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2010.
  8. ^ "Takeaway.com proposes €6bn deal to gobble up Just Eat". The Irish Times. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Just Eat's Peter Duffy takes top job at Moneysupermarket". Financial Times. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Maximale bonussen Takeaway-topman Jitse Groen met bijna een miljoen verhoogd". RTL Z (in Dutch). 14 May 2020. Archived from the original on 25 May 2020. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Takeaway-oprichter Jitse Groen verdient een bescheiden €1.367 per dag… maar op de beurs is z'n vermogen dagelijks met €1 miljoen gegroeid". Business Insider (in Dutch). 16 March 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  12. ^ a b c "Nederland is even een miljardair rijker: Thuisbezorgd-baas Jitse Groen". De Ondernemer (in Dutch). 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  13. ^ "Just Eat to offer minimum pay, holiday and sickness rates". Employee Benefits. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Jitse Groen on Twitter". Twitter. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021. Thank you for the advice, and then if I may .. Start paying taxes, minimum wage and social security premiums before giving a founder advice on how he should run his business.
  15. ^ "Takeaway, Uber CEOs exchange barbs after Uber Eats says it will enter German market". Reuters. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Just Eat to stop using gig economy workers". BBC. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  17. ^ "Just Eat to move entirely to self-employed 'gig worker' model in Britain". Reuters. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  18. ^ "Food-Delivery Billionaires See Fortunes Swoon as Pandemic Ebbs". Bloomberg.com. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
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