Bol.com plans IPO

Bol.com is the largest online shopping website in the Netherlands, mainly active in the Dutch and Belgian markets, and has been part of the Ahold Delhaize holding company since 2012. The holding company recently announced plans to accelerate growth and create more customer value, one of which is an IPO, and Ahold will retain long-term control.

Ahold hopes to use the public offering to raise additional funds and leverage the platform’s growth potential , and has also announced other plans for the coming years.

Ahold spoke of the strategic opportunities for Bol.com and hopes to build on the platform's leadership, success and customer loyalty. The IPO will provide Ahold with additional funds to execute its strategy in the coming years.

The IPO will require a listing on Euronext Amsterdam, with Ahold set to remain the largest shareholder , but the launch is subject to a number of factors, including market conditions , and is expected to take place in the second half of 2022 .

Ahold has previously kept Bol.com ’s specific performance secret. In its quarterly reports, Bol.com typically reports growth in transaction volume and the number of sellers on its platform. An IPO will require the company to disclose its performance, which will give Ahold’s investors a greater degree of transparency.

The holding company also shared other financial goals for the coming years. It wants to accelerate sales growth between 2023 and 2025 by investing an additional 10 billion euros by 2025. Bol.com's net consumer sales are expected to reach 5.5 billion euros this year and double again by 2025. Ahold also plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions from its own operations by 2040 .

Bol.com ’s CEO said : “We realize that these are ambitious goals that will require a significant amount of effort over the coming years, but we are confident that these and other goals included in today’s strategic update are achievable thanks to our highly dedicated and committed employees. ”

In the Dutch e-commerce market, Bol.com occupies the largest local market share, and Amazon ranks only sixth. Sellers in related markets should pay more attention to the trends of some local platforms.

Netherlands

IPO

bol.com