In a press conference, Robert Gentz (Co-CEO Zalando), David Schröder (Co-CEO Zalando), Sandra Dembeck (CFO Zalando) and Tarek Müller (Co-CEO About You) revealed details about the takeover plans of Zalando and About You. The goal is to form the leading European fashion e-commerce ecosystem and help shape the future of online shopping. The takeover was a good idea because the corporate cultures were very similar. Both are founder-led and have similar values and an entrepreneurial orientation.
The medium-term financial targets of the two companies were confirmed. Zalando expects an increase in group GMV of 5% to 10% in the medium term. The long-term goal is an adjusted EBIT margin of 10% to 13% of sales in B2B and B2C. Zalando is hoping for a group EBIT of 100 million euros from synergies, both from B2B and B2C. Companies see synergy potential in logistics, marketing and the costs incurred during sales, such as payment service providers. The synergies should arise from the shared use of the infrastructure, so large waves of layoffs are not planned. Even if the increase in employees could probably slow down in the future, as those responsible reveal.
