£1.5 billion debut for online takeaway firm Just Eat

Online takeaway food service Just Eat delivered a strong start to trading as it made its £1.5 billion stock market debut.

The firm – which operates in 13 countries covering more than 36,000 takeaway restaurants – is the seventh technology listing on the London Stock Exchange so far this year but the biggest since Party Gaming’s £4.6bn flotation in 2005.

Chief executive David Buttress said; “Our compelling growth story and market-leading positions have attracted strong investor support for the IPO (initial public offering) and I am confident and incredibly excited about our future as we start the next stage of our development as a public company.”

The group saw revenues increase 57.3% to £80.4 million last year, while underlying earnings rose 69.9% to £30.2m.