日本的外卖行业在新冠疫情期间涌入大量新进入者，如今正经历大规模洗牌，因为竞争加剧迫使公司退出市场。
Japan’s food delivery industry, which saw a surge in new entrants during the COVID-19 pandemic, is undergoing a major shakeout as intensifying competition drives companies out of the market.
该行业目前主要集中在三家公司：美国的Uber Eats Japan、由韩国电商公司Coupang运营的Rocket Now，以及日本运营商Demae-can。
The sector has now largely consolidated around three players: U.S.-based Uber Eats Japan; Rocket Now operated by South Korean e-commerce company Coupang; and Japanese operator Demae-can.
Uber Eats以绝对优势保持主导地位，引发了对市场集中度不断上升的担忧。
Uber Eats remains the dominant player by a wide margin, raising concerns about growing market concentration.
“如果没有我们的客户、餐厅合作伙伴和配送合作伙伴，这一切增长都不可能实现，”Uber Eats Japan负责人尤莉娅·布罗夫基娜在10月中旬的新闻发布会上表示。Uber Eats于2016年进入日本市场。
“None of this growth would have been possible without our customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners,” said Yulia Brovkina, head of Uber Eats Japan, at a news conference in mid-October. Uber Eats entered the Japanese market in 2016.
该公司凭借其广泛的全球业务网络和强大的品牌知名度，稳步扩大在日本的影响力。截至10月，日本累计订单量已超过10亿单。
Leveraging its extensive global business network and strong brand recognition, the company has steadily expanded its presence. The cumulative number of orders in Japan surpassed 1 billion as of October.
据美国研究公司Sensor Tower称，Uber Eats Japan拥有620万月活跃用户（MAU，即每月使用某款应用的人数），占据国内市场超过一半的份额。
According to U.S. research firm Sensor Tower, Uber Eats Japan has 6.2 million monthly active users (MAUs), a measure of the number of people using an app each month, giving it more than half of the domestic market.
外卖服务在新冠疫情期间迅速扩张，当时人们越来越避免外出就餐。曾经有一段时间，超过七家公司激烈竞争以吸引客户。
Food delivery services expanded rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when people increasingly avoided dining out. At one point, more than seven companies were competing fiercely to attract customers.
然而，包括折扣券在内的昂贵促销策略给它们的业务带来沉重负担，促使它们在相对短暂的运营期后相继退出。
However, costly promotional strategies, including discount coupons, weighed on their businesses, prompting a series of withdrawals after relatively short periods of operation.
芬兰外卖公司Wolt于今年3月结束了在日本的服务，随后由KDDI子公司运营的Menu于9月底退出。
Wolt, a Finnish food delivery company, ended its service in Japan in March this year, followed by Menu, operated by a KDDI subsidiary, at the end of September.
Demae-can也面临困境，其截至8月结束的财政年度合并财务报告显示，已连续八年录得年度净亏损。
Demae-can is also struggling, having posted its eighth consecutive annual net loss in its consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending in August.
与此同时，去年1月进入日本市场的Rocket Now，通过提供来自超过1万家餐厅的配送服务，且价格与店内购买相同，不收取配送费或服务费，实现了快速增长。
Meanwhile, Rocket Now, which entered the Japanese market in January last year, has grown rapidly by offering delivery from more than 10,000 restaurants at the same prices as in-store purchases, with no delivery or service fees.
该应用的累计下载量于9月超过800万次，公司在月活跃用户数（MAU）方面已跃升至行业第二位。
The cumulative number of app downloads surpassed 8 million in September, and the company has risen to second place in the industry in terms of MAUs.
然而，Rocket Now的进入迫使Uber Eats和Demae-can采用“与店内相同价格”的模式，使这场日益演变为消耗战的竞争更加激烈。
However, Rocket Now’s entry has forced Uber Eats and Demae-can to adopt the “same price as in-store” model, intensifying what is increasingly becoming a war of attrition.
一位行业专家警告称，仅基于价格的竞争可能会让资金实力雄厚的公司垄断市场，从长远来看，可能会让消费者和餐厅处境更糟。
An industry expert warned that competition based solely on price could allow financially powerful companies to monopolize the market, potentially leaving consumers and restaurants worse off in the long run.