The “instant” grocery delivery business has been a trending theme among global food startups, as highlighted by the increasing proliferation of these businesses, M&A activity within the space and increasingly ambitious promises delivered by new entrants. TFN has covered the funding of grocery delivery unicorns such as JOKR and Weee! who continue to compete for US dominance alongside smaller fast-growing counterparts like Food Rocket. The EU’s grocery delivery scene is also alive & active, with Turkey’s Getir now a decacorn and having made strategic acquisitions like the acquisition of London-based Weezy. Others like Russia’s Yandex have made drawbacks which echo that not all moves will guarantee success.
Rohlik Group, the e-grocer that offers a 90-minute same-day delivery service has today announced it has raised €220M in Series D funding at a valuation that trumps its €1B ($1.2B) Series C valuation. The raise was led by new investor Sofina (who recently invested in CoachHub and Typeform) and existing investors Index Ventures & the founder Tomáš Čupr. Arma Partners acted as the exclusive financial adviser to Rohlik with regard to the transaction.
The transaction, which highlights a strong vote of confidence from investors in Rohlik’s fundamentals will take the e-grocer’s total funding to north of €500M and will enable the continued development of its customer proposition as well as fuelling growth in existing geographies. The funds will be used to accelerate tech innovation, with fulfilment centres further automated, electric mobility investments and further expansion in existing countries.
Rohlik’s Customer offering
Rohlik uniquely combines fast and precise delivery with large assortments and great value for money. The company completes over 85% of its orders within 90 minutes, whereas other orders achieve 15-minute same-day delivery. The delivery unicorn has 17,000 items in its assortment and has prices well in line with brick-and-mortar competition. The offering also includes well-priced private brands, locally sourced goods from small farms & producers as well as top international brands. Fresh produce currently accounts for about 40% of sales which is more than most competitors.
Founded by Marek Sacha and Tomáš Čupr in 2014, the company has grown to have operations in Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt and will be soon be launched in Hamburg, Milan, Bucharest and Madrid. The company which now serves over 1M active customers saw its revenues reach €500M last year. Furthermore, the group has been profitable in the Czech Republic since 2018 and in Hungary since 2021.
“Series D in this tough market is a great achievement for Rohlik and the entire team. Without our great people, we wouldn’t be in this position. This raise gives us a chance to emerge as a category winner in the next few years and I am excited about what lies ahead,” explains Tomáš Čupr, Rohlik’s co-founder and investor in this round.
Sofina’s CEO Harold Boël’s confidence was expressed in his statement, “We’re looking forward to working with Rohlik, leveraging on our decades of investments in the sector as we believe its focus on local supply and on assortment will put it in a good position to capture a significant share in e-grocery, given consumers’ shift towards sustainability.”
