Online UK flower delivery and plant business Bloom & Wild is continuing its European expansion drive by making its second acquisition of the year, acquiring French rival Bergamotte for an undisclosed sum.
The retailer said the combined business is aiming to ship 11 million bouquets this year, and that Bergamotte will help it grow its plant delivery operation.
The deal follows the acquisition of Dutch online florist Bloomon in April, with founder and chief executive Aron Gelbard forecasting that it will see total revenue top £200m this year.
He added: “During the lockdowns, when people weren’t able to see loved ones, flowers became a sort of a substitute for a hug. (Covid) changed the whole nature of flower gifting, because it’s made it less of a grand gesture and more like an everyday gift.
“Bergamotte has leaned heavily into plants, which is a fast-growing part of the £22bn plant and flower market in Europe. We are also incorporating learnings from Bloomon from around what they have found works well for subscriptions.”
Launched in 2013, Bloom & Wild pioneered the sending of bouquets that can fit through a letterbox, and has witnessed exponential growth over the past two years; sales for the year ending March topped £100m, compared to £29m two years ago.
Gelbard recently cited the company’s tech and data science platform as two key areas that have triggered rapid growth.
Bloom & Wild has focused on building user friendly websites and apps that use customer data to personalise the shopping experience. Following its acquisitions, the company now operates in France, Germany and Ireland.
To date, it has raised £96m of equity over four institutional funding rounds, having secured a £75m investment in January 2021.
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