Online Grocery Leader Rohlik raises €190 million to conquer the European market

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, March 2, 2021 – One of Europe’s leading online grocery businesses, Rohlik Group, has raised €190 million from investors and announced that it will close FY2020 with €300 million in revenue, representing 101% annual growth, and 750,000 customers. The round is led by Partech, joined by Index Ventures, with participation from EBRD, Quadrille Capital, J&T Banka, R2G, and existing investor Enern Miton. The funds will fuel Rohlik’s expansion in its existing markets and the launch in Germany and other international markets.

Rohlik was founded in 2014 with the vision to elevate the standards of food quality and service in the grocery industry. Its obsessions regarding customer experience are reflected in every step of the order, from the broad selection, with more than 17 thousand items to choose from, to the delivery experience, offering a 15-minute delivery window with delivery as soon as within two hours of placing an order. 

Rohlik’s unique proposition has fueled rapid growth across the Czech Republic. In 2019, Rohlik entered Hungary, where it fast established market leadership, and Austria in 2020. Rohlik Group will use the raised funds to accelerate the growth in its current markets as well as the German on-line grocery market in 2021.

“At Rohlik, we want people to ‘eat well and live well’. We offer a broad selection of awesome food to our customers and provide them with a service that makes life easier,” explains Tomáš Čupr, Rohlik Group CEO. “With this funding round, we will be able to accelerate our growth and continue to invest in our market-leading technology and operating capabilities.”

Omri Benayoun, General Partner at Partech, commented: “Rohlik is the most exciting player in the European online grocery industry. We are honored to partner with Rohlik’s founder Tomáš Čupr, whose passion for service, sustainability and vision for the grocery sector we share. Rohlik’s execution expertise has earned it the trust of both local merchants and global FMCG companies; allowing Rohlik to outperform on quality and price compared to the grocery giants.”

Jan Hammer, Partner at Index Ventures, commented: “We've been impressed with Rohlik's consumer proposition, offering premium produce alongside a wide range of value-priced products, combined with convenient delivery options. The team at Rohlik has executed flawlessly and relentlessly to create one of the most exciting and fast-growing food businesses in Europe.”

Rohlik Group is currently the only Czech start-up to receive €190 million from investors. The fundraising was supported by the investment advice of Arma Partners, legal advice from White & Case as well as the tax and accounting due diligence from Deloitte. 

“We expect that our activities will kick-start the market and force all players in the retail industry to accelerate. We are not focused on delivering a small basket very quickly like other players in the market, but fulfilling real needs of families in Europe,” comments Tomáš Čupr on the expected impact of Rohlik Group's expansion activities on the retail market.

****

About Rohlik Group

Founded in 2014 in Czech Republic, Rohlik is the European leader of e-grocery in Central Europe. Already active in the Czech Republic (Rohlik.cz), Hungary (Kifli.hu) and Austria (Gurkerl.at), the company will be launching in the coming months in Germany (Knuspr.de). By owning its end-to-end operations, including all technology in-house, Rohlik provides a superior customer experience and the freshest food from local farmers and artisans. Rohlik turnover exceeded €300 million in 2020 representing 101% annual growth, and 750,000 customers. It currently has 750,000 customers across three international markets. 

For more information visit www.rohlik.group

For media enquiries:

Eliška Čeřovská, eliska.cerovska@rohlik.cz

About Partech

Born in San Francisco and Paris, Partech is one of the most active VCs in the world, bringing together capital, operational experience and strategic support for entrepreneurs at seed, venture and growth stages. In 2020, Partech invested in 82 startups across 24 countries in Europe, America, Africa and Asia.

For media enquiries:

Isabelle Tresson, itresson@partechpartners.com

About Index Ventures 

Global venture capital firm Index Ventures, the backers of food and logistics startups such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Good Eggs, as well as other technology businesses such as Farfetch, Robinhood and Slack. 

For media enquiries:
Vojtech Horna, vojtech@indexventures.com 

About EBRD

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development supports the development of the private sector and sustainable and inclusive growth through a combination of investment and policy reforms. Established in 1991, the Bank started its operations in central and eastern Europe and today has grown to work in 38 countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. The EBRD is an international financial institution with global ownership comprising 69 countries as well as the EU and the EIB.

For media enquiries:
Axel Reiserer, ReisereA@ebrd.com

About J&T Banka

Private bank, which since 1998 has offered services and advice in the field of multigenerational asset management and succession, investment, securities trading, asset management and structuring and life-style management services. In addition to comprehensive family office and private banking services, the Bank provides specialised financing in the area of real estate and corporate acquisitions. In addition to the Czech Republic, J&T Banka operates in Slovakia, Russia and Croatia. 

For media enquiries:
Monika Veselá, mvesela@jtbank.cz 

About Quadrille Capital

Quadrille is an independent global investor in technology and healthcare growth equity. Our unique, data-driven and financially disciplined investment strategy has delivered a strong, consistent track record over 15 years. We manage €1.2bn with a team of 30 people out of Paris and San Francisco for institutional investors and family offices. 

For media enquiries:
Maitland/amoDavid Stürken, dsturken@maitland.co.uk
Havas Paris Charles Fleming, charles.fleming@havas.com  

About R2G

R2G is a family office based in Prague, the Czech Republic. Investments are implemented through an investment platform backed by three families: the Slemr family and the families of software entrepreneurs and major shareholders in the London Stock Exchange listed, anti-virus company AVAST Software, Eduard Kucera and Pavel Baudis.

For media enquiries:
Jakub Dyba, jakub.dyba@r2g.cz

About Enern:

ENERN is a European venture and growth capital group. It has been a key partner early on to CEE champions such as Booksy, DocPlanner, and Rohlik. ENERN is on a mission to support exceptional founding teams on their journey to redefine industries and create lasting change in a sustainable way.

For media enquiries:
Ana Wolsztajn, ana.wolsztajn@enern.eu