Ele.me, one of the largest players in China's food delivery service sector, has officially announced the purchase of its rival Baidu Waimai, the food delivery unit of major internet search engine Baidu Inc - a move that's expected to shore up Ele.me's lead in a fiercely competitive industry.

As part of the deal, Baidu Waimai will continue to operate as an independent entity, and its operations team will remain unchanged, Ele.me said a statement. However, the financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

Ele.me will input more capital and resources to support Baidu Waimai, which has been aiming its services at the high-end market, especially white-collar employees, to expand its logistics system and build a high-quality food delivery platform, said the statement.