Prague-based online grocer Rohlik Group, the first Czech unicorn, announced this summer that it had successfully raised 160 million euros in fresh growth capital. The investment was led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), alongside existing investors Sofina, Index Ventures, Quadrille, and TCF Capital and complemented by growth capital funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) under its Scale-Up Initiative.
Founded in 2014 in the Czech Republic to meet the growing demand for online grocery services that offer superior quality and better customer experience, Rohlik has achieved rapid and sustainable growth across the DACH and CEE regions. The company now delivers over a million orders per month, and served over 800,000 customers in 2023. It has now reached profitability in Munich, having already done so in the Czech Republic and Hungary, validating its economic model in Germany and proving its ability to scale efficiently and sustainably.
Despite the challenging macroeconomic environment and a period of turbulence in the industry, Rohlik has grown by 40% post-COVID. Rohlik’s ability to drive sustained growth and achieve profitability in key markets is a testament to its robust performance and compelling value proposition. The company’s success is driven by a best-in-class local assortment of goods, which ranges from fresh food from local farmers and artisans to supermarket goods, pharmacy items and private label brands, alongside competitive prices, high levels of customer service and fast, reliable delivery, powered by an innovative proprietary technology infrastructure.
“There is huge demand across Europe for online groceries delivered quickly and reliably without any compromise on quality. We don’t see that as a short-term phenomenon, but as a long-term opportunity around which to build a market-leading proposition. This funding will allow us to accelerate our growth, opening facilities in more than 10 new cities, and set the standard in online grocery delivery across Europe” said Tomáš Čupr, founder and CEO of Rohlik Group.
Before Rohlik, Čupr founded Slevomat and DameJidlo, both market leaders in their sectors, which he successfully exited to Secret Escapes and Delivery Hero, respectively.
According to him “It’s only through the efforts of the world’s entrepreneurs that we stand a chance of supporting the needs of a changing planet and its people.”
Rohlik is active in the Czech Republic (Rohlik.cz), Hungary (Kifli.hu), Austria (Gurkerl.at), Germany (Knuspr.de) and Romania (Sezamo.ro), and is growing rapidly. The investment will be used to fuel the company’s ambitious expansion plans in DACH and CEE. With a healthy mix of more mature profitable cities and earlier stage fast-growing cities, Rohlik has a clear direction of travel towards an initial public offering (IPO) in the coming years.
