Bolt Food to exit Croatia 

Bolt Food to exit Croatian delivery market

Bolt Food will shut down its operations in Croatia from 6 October, marking the first major exit in the highly competitive food delivery market, Jutarnji list has confirmed.

From that date, users will no longer be able to order meals through the Bolt Food app.

The move does not mean that Bolt is leaving Croatia entirely. The company confirmed in a statement that it will continue to operate its ride-hailing services and electric scooter rentals, maintaining its strong position in those markets.

“Bolt in Croatia continues to operate – we remain the market leader in ride-hailing and scooter rentals. You will still be able to order rides and use scooters via the Bolt app,” the company said.

Bolt Food entered Croatia in May 2020, during the coronavirus pandemic, when food delivery demand soared. Starting in Zagreb, the service later expanded to major cities including Split, Osijek, Rijeka, Zadar, Šibenik, Dubrovnik, Pula and Karlovac.

By mid-2022, the company was working with more than 600 partner restaurants and had also launched Bolt Market for grocery delivery.

Like rivals Glovo and Wolt, Bolt Food operated on a three-way model connecting restaurants, customers and couriers, who were classified as independent partners rather than employees.

Restaurants paid commissions on each order, while customers covered food prices plus delivery fees that varied by distance, as well as possible surcharges for small orders.

Despite being the smallest player among the “big three”, Bolt Food was unique in that it managed to post profits in Croatia over the past two years – something its competitors could not achieve.

In 2023, the company reported revenues of €2.22 million, a steep drop of almost 50% from €4.43 million in 2022. A slight recovery followed in 2024, with revenues rising to €2.7 million. Despite the decline, Bolt Food generated a profit of €93,363 in 2023, which grew to €118,474 in 2024.

By comparison, Glovo reported net losses of €6.3 million in 2023 and €7.4 million in 2024, while Wolt moved from a €40,000 loss in 2023 to a €352,000 profit last year.

Bolt Food’s withdrawal underscores the fierce competition in Croatia’s food delivery sector. While demand surged during the pandemic, sustaining growth has proved challenging, with revenues fluctuating and costs remaining high.

From October, the Croatian food delivery market will be left to Glovo and Wolt.