Accelerating e-grocery – Why we invested in Rohlik!

While 2020 has been a tumultuous year, it has had its silver-linings. One such silver-lining is Rohlik, an exceptional company disrupting the grocery industry. Rohlik is a high-growth e-grocery retailer that is customer obsessed. Rohlik launched in Czech Republic in 2014, Hungary in 2019, Austria in 2020 and will launch in Germany during 2021. We are very proud to have led its €190M growth round and to partner with Tomáš Čupr, Rohlik’s founder and CEO. We wanted to share why we are so excited to join them on their mission to be the leading pure play online grocery retailer in Europe.  

The time for e-grocery is now …  

Consumer preferences tend to shift gradually, although the events of 2020 have accelerated adoption, driving e-grocery into the mainstream. By entering the mainstream, volumes have surpassed the tipping point, and best-in-class online operators can access the economies of scale required to match pricing and profitability of the bricks and mortar heavy-weights.   

… an outstanding company where vision meets execution …  

Rohlik’s founding vision was to provide unmatched service and the highest quality food. Today, Rohlik is a well-oiled, fully integrated e-grocery platform. Fully integrated is key to Rohlik’s strength as it seamlessly connects its in-house technology with operations. Rohlik’s software is end-to-end, powering all parts of its operations; from its online storefront, to demand forecasting, optimization of fulfillment operations, last-mile routing, payments, and real-time customer communications. This strength enables fresher food, faster delivery, and happy customers.   

This execution expertise does not come easy! In addition to delivering everything you would find in a large grocery store, Rohlik’s range includes the super high-quality, unique fresh foods you find at local farmers’ markets and specialty retailers.  On top of that, Rohlik  delivers in a 15-minute delivery slot, in as little as two hours from placing an order. The combination of a great selection, fast delivery and flawless customer service is convincing customers to try e-grocery and not look back. From the growth investor perspective, this leads to stronger unit economics and greater customer lifetime values, for which Rohlik is a clear category leader. 

When we make investments, we aim to understand the voice of the customer. Rohlik’s customer testimonials are the most heart-felt we have heard in our careers and are a credit to the love-brand Rohlik is creating. Some examples: “customer service is insanely good,” “perfectly fits the needs of modern family life, especially with kids,” “other grocery stores turned us away during Covid, Rohlik kept delivering.”  

… the management team is running through walls to better serve their customers 

It is a privilege to partner with Tomáš, a successful repeat entrepreneur, and the outstanding management team he has put together. They have built an agile organization, highly focused on providing uncompromising service and quality. While Europe was in lockdown, this team tripled their fulfillment center capacity! The team combines deep grocery and FMCG expertise with last-mile mastery and leading technologists. 

We are very excited to support Rohlik. 

Welcome to the Partech Family! 

The Partech Growth Team.

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To learn more, read the Press Release here.