Delivery Hero-owned Glovo has reached a settlement with Morocco’s Competition Council, agreeing to significant changes in its business practices to end an investigation into alleged abuse of its dominant market position.
In a decision announced on July 24, 2025, the council approved a settlement agreement that requires Glovo to pay an undisclosed financial penalty and adhere to a strict set of commitments. The move terminates litigation proceedings that began over a year ago and scrutinised the company’s powerful role in the country’s digital food delivery market.
The settlement comes just days after Glovo’s delivery drivers staged protests in Casablanca over pay and working conditions, highlighting the multiple pressures facing the company in one of its key North African markets.
The Terms of the Deal
Following a formal investigation that began in February 2024, Moroccan regulators presented Glovo with grievances alleging it had engaged in anti-competitive behaviour. The council cited practices that abused the company’s dominant position and fostered an “economic dependence” among its restaurant partners.
To avoid a harsher ruling, Glovo requested and was granted a settlement procedure in June 2025. The key commitments, which will now be mandatory and monitored by the council, include:
- Ending Exclusivity: Glovo must remove all exclusivity clauses from its contracts with restaurants and cafes. This applies to both new and existing partners, who will be free to work with competing platforms without penalty or commission increases.
- Capping Commissions: The company will cap its commission rate at 30%. Any existing contracts with higher rates must be adjusted.
- Platform Transparency: Glovo must provide partners with a clear guide explaining its ranking and visibility criteria. It has also committed to ensuring its ranking system and paid sponsorship services are based on “objective, transparent, and non-discriminatory” conditions.
- Courier Conditions: The agreement includes a set of measures aimed at ensuring “a fairer valuation of the services” performed by delivery couriers while reinforcing their status as independent workers.
- Compliance Program: Glovo is required to implement an internal competition law compliance program, complete with risk mapping and the appointment of a dedicated compliance manager.
A Company on Two Fronts
The regulatory settlement concludes a tense period for Glovo that began with a dawn raid on its Casablanca offices in late 2024. However, its troubles are not over.
On July 21, just three days before the settlement was announced, dozens of Glovo couriers protested in Casablanca, demanding fairer pay. They claim a base rate of 6 dirhams (approx. €0.55) per delivery is insufficient to cover fuel, insurance, and vehicle maintenance costs.
The protests were further inflamed by a symbolic grievance: couriers alleged the Glovo app had briefly displayed a map of Morocco that excluded its disputed southern regions, a deeply sensitive issue of national sovereignty. Glovo swiftly apologised, attributing the map to a “technical anomaly from an external provider” and affirming its “full respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco.”
Reshaping the Market
The investigation was initially triggered by a complaint from local competitor Kooul, part of the ORA Technologies group. Kooul argued that Glovo was leveraging its scale to stifle local competition. For many Moroccan restaurant owners, the pressure has been palpable.
“It’s take-it-or-leave-it,” said one Casablanca-based restaurant owner who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal. “If Glovo brings 80% of your online orders, can you really negotiate commissions or reject their terms?”
The settlement could now level the playing field. By removing exclusivity clauses and capping commissions, the council’s decision may give local platforms more room to compete and restaurants more bargaining power.
The episode presents a challenge to the narrative Glovo has cultivated in Morocco. The company has invested over 200 million dirhams (€18.5m) since 2018 and positioned itself as an ecosystem builder through its “Startup Lab” initiative.
While the settlement allows Glovo to move on from a costly legal battle, the company now faces the task of implementing binding reforms under the watchful eye of regulators, all while trying to mend its relationship with a discontented workforce.