Food and retail goods delivery firm Foodora is leaving the Finnish market at the end of February, according to a company press release.
The app-based courier service said it will continue operations normally until 27 February. After that, it will no longer offer its services in the country.
The company announced the news following the completion of redundancy talks with employee representatives that began on 12 January.
At the start of those talks, the company said it was considering withdrawing from the Finnish market.
The decision to leave Finland affects around 80 local employees and thousands of independent couriers. According to market analysis website PitchBook, Foodora's staff in Finland includes more than 2,800 people.
In May of last year, Finland's Supreme Administrative Court ruled that food couriers are employees, not self-employed entrepreneurs. The case on appeal before the court concerned couriers operating on the platform of the food delivery company Wolt, Foodora's main competitor.
On Friday, Foodora said that it has separately informed other parties affected by the decision, including its restaurant and retail partners as well as the couriers that make the deliveries.
According to the company, the decision to leave Finland was based on a strategy focused on investing in markets with opportunities to become the clear market leader, and to build a strong, long-term brand in Europe.
Foodora began its operations in Finland in 2015, and currently has operations in more than 100 cities and municipalities across the country.
Founded in Munich, Foodora's headquarters moved to Berlin, Germany in 2015 and was subsequently acquired by Delivery Hero. Apart from Finland, the company has operations in Sweden, Norway, Austria, Czech Republic, and Hungary.
