
Rocket Internet exits Zalando
Start-up incubator Rocket Internet has transferred its stake in online fashion retailer Zalando to Swedish investment company Kinnevik.
Kinnevik is Rocket Internet's main investor. The Berlin-based incubator transferred its entire stake to Kinnevik, leaving the Swedish investment company with a direct ownership of 37.5%.
In another transaction, Anders Holch Povlsen, owner of the fashion company Bestseller, bought a 10% stake in Zalando.
The European Founders Fund owns 18% of Zalando's shares while DST Global owns 9%. Russian investor DST initially invested in Zalando in February last year. It then increased its stake in the online retailer two months later together with Kinnevik.
German venture capital firm Holtzbrinck Ventures owns an 8% stake and fellow German firm Tengelmann Ventures owns 6% of the shares. Other investors own 12%.
In October last year, Kinnevik bought Zalando shares from Holtzbrinck Ventures, Tengelmann and Rocket Internet for €287m.
Rocket Internet was founded in 2007 by Marc, Oliver and Alexander Samwer, and currently holds 17 portfolio companies in Germany.
Company
Zalando was founded in 2008 in Berlin. It sells fashion products online in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, the UK, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Denmark and Poland.
The company began its expansion in 2009 in Austria, followed by the Netherlands and France in 2010. In 2011, the firm moved into the British and Swiss online markets.
In 2012, Zalando had revenues of €1.5bn, reaching profitability in the DACH region. In Q1 2013, Zalando's revenues stood at €372m, a 74% increase compared to Q1 2012.
People
Mia Brunell Livfors is CEO of Kinnevik. Rubin Ritter is co-CEO of Zalando. David Schneider is Zalando's founder and co-CEO.
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