There will be no IPO for bol.com this year after all: parent company Ahold Delhaize appears to have no desire to take its webshop in the current economic climate.
Online retailers hit hard
Last year, the Dutch group surprised everyone by announcing that it would take bol.com public in the second half of 2022. The announcement was striking at the time, as many other e-tailers had been hit hard on the stock market or (like Coolblue) had even completely cancelled their IPOs.
Nevertheless, in November, Ahold Delhaize remained positive: an IPO of bol.com would bring in a lot of additional capital (experts talked about a valuation of six billion euros) and many additional growth opportunities. Less than a year later, however, the supermarket group reportedly revised its opinion, albeit – probably – temporarily.
Belgian business newspaper De Tijd quotes insiders who point to the decline in online sales after the extreme peak during the pandemic, but also to the difficulties of the stock markets. At Ahold Delhaize, there is no confirmation or denial at the moment – “We are fully focused on finding the right way to create value for Bol.com and Ahold Delhaize”, a spokesperson told De Tijd. An announcement on the bol.com IPO is expected next week, when the second quarter results are presented.
