Zaandam, the Netherlands, May 2, 2022 – Ahold Delhaize announces today that bol.com, its online retailer in the Benelux, and delivery expert Cycloon completed the transaction for a strategic partnership in which bol.com has become a majority shareholder of Cycloon. The Dutch Authority for Consumers and Markets has approved this transaction. Bol.com and Cycloon can now work towards the first joint delivery of a bol.com package, which is expected to happen in the second half of this year. The parties wish to jointly accelerate Cycloon’s growth and share the ambition to make delivery more sustainable and social. The current management team of Cycloon will be continued, and the existing shareholders of Cycloon will remain involved as such.
The partnership with bol.com enables Cycloon to substantially accelerate its mission of green and social delivery, creating a future-proof position with strong growth opportunities in a competitive market. For bol.com and its sales partners, the majority stake will ensure a larger proportion of packages can be delivered by bicycle, and it enables the online retail platform to offer customers an even better delivery service.
Green and social
Management and shareholders remain fully committed to Cycloon’s social culture and sustainable mission to grow the organization and create new jobs. With its nationwide network of bicycle couriers and mail deliverers, Cycloon delivers mail and packages to thousands of customers throughout the Netherlands. As a result, the company is already saving 1,600 tons of CO2 annually. 600 people with a (former) distance to the labor market are employed at the company. Cycloon will continue to deliver mail and packages for current and new customers, next to delivering packages for bol.com. This concerns both packages from bol.com itself as well as packages from sales partners who store their products at the distribution centers of bol.com.
As part of the terms of the transaction, bol.com will acquire the remaining shares in four years’ time, subject to approval of the relevant competition authority. The parties intend to continue operating Cycloon as an independent brand.
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Cautionary notice
This communication includes forward-looking statements. All statements other than statements of historical facts may be forward-looking statements. Words and expressions such as strategic, aim, now, work towards, expected, wish, ambition, will, continued, remain, accelerate, mission, future-proof, position, opportunities, ensure, enables, committed, intend or other similar words or expressions are typically used to identify forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors that are difficult to predict and that may cause actual results of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V. (the “Company”) to differ materially from future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the risk factors set forth in the Company’s public filings and other disclosures. Forward-looking statements reflect the current views of the Company’s management and assumptions based on information currently available to the Company’s management. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made and the Company does not assume any obligation to update such statements, except as required by law.
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About Cycloon
Cycloon, is the green and social delivery expert of the Netherlands. Cycloon's mission is to move the delivery market to become greener and more social. From that mission, Cycloon initiated a national bicycle courier platform in 2016 and now delivers in over 75 cities. Thus, a nationwide parcel service with around 800 bicycle couriers became a reality. In addition, Cycloon employs 600 postal workers with a (former) distance to the labor market.
About bol.com
In 1999, bol.com was founded in the Netherlands at a construction site in Vianen. Bol.com was the first online bookstore in Europe. Over 20 years later, bol.com is one of the largest online retail platforms in Belgium and the Netherlands with a range of over 41 million products in dozens of product categories, with a focus on non-food. Bol.com aims to offer its customers convenience, reliability and choice, anywhere and anytime. The platform does this together with 49,000 local entrepreneurs who sell via bol.com to 13 million Dutch and Belgian customers. Bol.com believes in the power of collaboration, because only together with its sales partners bol.com can offer its customers the best shopping experience. As a 'store for all of us', bol.com should be accessible to everyone. Bol.com wants to do better every day: from packing and delivering as economically as possible, to using 100 percent wind and solar energy in its buildings. Together with a network of suppliers, sales partners, colleagues and millions of customers, bol.com aims to make sustainable living easier. With its sustainable assortment, bol.com wants to help customers make a conscious choice and the platform wants to reduce the CO2 emissions per package as much as possible. The remaining emissions will be compensated. For the 49,000 sales partners who sell via the platform, bol.com also compensates the operational emissions. As of 2022, bol.com will be climate neutral according to the Climate Neutral Certification standard. Bol.com has over 2,600 employees, who work at the headquarters in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Since 2012 bol.com is part of Ahold Delhaize. For more information & news about bol.com, please visit pers.bol.com.
About Ahold Delhaize
Ahold Delhaize is one of the world’s largest food retail groups and a leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce. Its family of great local brands serves 55 million customers each week, both in stores and online, in the United States, Europe, and Indonesia. Together, these brands employ more than 413,000 associates in 7,452 grocery and specialty stores and include the top online retailer in the Benelux and the leading online grocers in the Benelux and the United States. Ahold Delhaize brands are at the forefront of sustainable retailing, sourcing responsibly, supporting local communities and helping customers make healthier choices. The company’s focus on four growth drivers – drive omnichannel growth, elevate healthy and sustainable, cultivate best talent and strengthen operational excellence – is helping to fulfil its purpose, achieve its vision and prepare its brands and businesses for tomorrow. Headquartered in Zaandam, the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam and Brussels stock exchanges (ticker: AD) and its American Depositary Receipts are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. and quoted on the OTCQX International marketplace (ticker: ADRNY). For more information, please visit:www.aholddelhaize.com.
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