Quiver buys Stuart’s courier network in Europe

📅 The sale closed in October. Mutares disclosed Quiver’s irrevocable offer on October 26. The seller’s financial adviser dates completion to October 30. Mutares confirmed the sale on November 2 and placed it in October in its November 12 results. The companies’ announcement that day set out the operating plans. At the sale announcement, Mutares put Stuart’s revenue at about €50 million and its headcount at about 70. That staff figure is separate from its network of independent couriers. The release gives no purchase price or period for the revenue figure.

👟 Quiver wants to add doorstep exchanges. Stuart already lets retailers add same-hour delivery at their own checkout. Quiver’s dispatch software and courier app send couriers to a shop or a small local warehouse. The companies plan to invest in Stuart’s operations and technology, and Quiver wants to group nearby orders into one route. In Poland, Quiver’s co-founder described a goal for city stores selling clothes or shoes. A courier could bring the right size to a shopper and collect the original in the same visit. The founder gave no launch date.

🧾 Quiver changed operators this year. Quiver’s privacy notice names Quiver Solutions Limited as the current operator and Quiver Delivery Ltd as its predecessor. Companies House records the current company’s incorporation in January 2026. Creditors’ liquidators were appointed to the predecessor in April. The public deal announcements leave the purchase terms undisclosed.

⏱️ Measure the pickup as well as the ride. Under Quiver’s merchant terms, a courier wait of more than 15 minutes at a merchant pickup triggers a charge for the entire recorded wait. Stuart’s UK terms factor in distance, parcel size, transport and supply and demand when quoting the merchant’s fee. A retailer testing one postcode should track how long staff take to find, pack and hand over the item, then compare total cost per completed order. These are separate terms for existing services.

🛍️ Compare the same checkout. Deliveroo launched Express in the UK and Ireland in 2025 for orders placed with merchants. It later announced delivery for Co-op’s own online shop from hundreds of UK stores. For stationery retailer Ryman, Deliveroo announced two ways to order. Shoppers would be able to order on Deliveroo’s marketplace or order on Ryman’s own site or app and have Deliveroo deliver it. A merchant that wants to keep checkout should ask competing couriers to price that same route and specify who handles failed deliveries.

📉 Check whether the route pays. Mutares said Stuart’s revenue fell sharply in 2025 after losing its largest customer and other accounts. In the first half of 2026, Stuart largely offset price concessions by lowering its cost per order, Mutares said. Its operating result improved but still showed a loss. Stuart said in November that it was on track for profitability by early 2027. That remains a company forecast. A wider network could help fill a courier’s route, but orders need to cluster closely enough to make extra stops worthwhile without missing the promised windows. Retailers outside those three markets can apply the same test to their own local providers.