Zooplus smashes the 1-bn-euro barrier in the first six months

In the first six months of 2021, Zooplus AG increased its sales by 16 per cent to 1,002.2 mio euros, thus passing the 1-billion-euro mark for the first time in the first half of the year. Following sales growth of 16 per cent in the first six months, the sales increase in the second quarter was 17 per cent compared with the same period in the previous year. This was in spite of limited product availability at times due to the general shortage of raw materials and container capacity in the sector. At 42.2 mio euros, EBITDA significantly exceeded that of the previous year (29.4 mio euros), resulting in an EBITDA margin of 4.2 per cent (same period in the previous year: 3.4 per cent).
As in previous months, the online retailer attributes this growth to its large and loyal customer base. Up to 30 June, the number of returning customers as compared to the same period in the previous year increased to 5.4 mio. The sales-related repurchase rate was 98 per cent, three percentage points up on the same period in 2020. One growth driver in the first half of the year was the customer loyalty programme Subscribe & Save, which grew by 29 per cent and now accounts for 54 per cent of sales revenue from actively returning customers. The private label business also fared well, growing at an above-average rate of 31 per cent and contributing 17 per cent of overall sales. Zooplus concedes, however, that the share of pet accessories declined in the first six months of 2021 from 14 per cent last year to 13 per cent of overall sales.
Based on the results from the first six months, the online retailer has confirmed its sales forecast of earnings between 2.04 bn euros and 2.14 bn euros, and an EBITDA ranging from 40 to 80 mio euros, equivalent to an EBITDA margin of 2 to 4 per cent.