Takeaway meals app Deliveroo said on Thursday it expects orders growth to slow as lockdowns are eased and after demand more than doubled in the first quarter.

“Deliveroo expects the rate of growth to decelerate as lockdowns ease, but the extent of the deceleration remains uncertain,” the company said in a trading update following its poor stock market debut last month.

The British group, which operates worldwide, said orders surged by 114 per cent to 71 million in the first three months of the year compared with the first quarter of 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic fuelled demand for ordered-in food.

“We are delighted with the Deliveroo first-quarter results,” chief executive Will Shu said in the statement. “Demand has been strong in both the UK and Ireland and international markets driven by record new consumer growth and sustained engagement from our existing consumers.

We are mindful of the uncertain impact of the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions... (and) we are taking a prudent approach to our full-year guidance- Deliveroo chief executive Will Shu

“This is our fourth consecutive quarter of accelerating growth, but we are mindful of the uncertain impact of the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions... (and) we are taking a prudent approach to our full-year guidance.”

Deliveroo's share price slipped by 0.8 per cent to 268 pence following the update, and is still way below its initial public offering level.

Deliveroo's IPO on March 31 was London’s biggest stock market launch for a decade, valuing the eight-year-old group founded by Shu at £7.6 billion.

But its IPO of 390 pence failed spectacularly, with the company losing 26 per cent of its value on its first trading day after the group faced criticism from some institutional investors over the treatment of self-employed riders.

Deliveroo maintains that its riders – around 100,000 across 800 cities worldwide – value the flexibility the job affords.