bol.com

Dutch webshop bol.com will get a new CEO on 1 November, as Huub Vermeulen will pass the torch to current platform director Margaret Versteden - van Duijn.

In and around the European institutions, the temperature of the discussion concerning the Commission's plan to more strictly regulate large tech and e-commerce platforms such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon is slowly rising. Small and large webshops, which have seen enormous growth since Covid, are following the situation closely. So what exactly is it all about?

The success of big international e-commerce platforms has created a new type of buyer. Specialised companies are hunting for interesting webshops to take over based on their success on those platforms. After a few years, the webshops often reach a plateau, a moment when they have to decide on major investments for further growth.

Belgian Colruyt Group is launching a new online platform today, where it offers discounts on large volumes of a varying selection of A-brands. Until now, Belgian consumers have mainly found such offers on foreign web shops.

After a particularly strong fourth quarter, in which sales rose by 18 per cent, Ahold Delhaize rounds off the full-year 2020 with double-digit sales growth. The strong online performance is striking: bol.com is also breaking records. However, net profits declined.

Zalando now charges a "distance fee" to customers in the Benelux for packages coming from further afield. The free shipping trendsetter is retracing its steps, and others will follow.

In order to gain market share in the Benelux, Amazon charges significantly lower prices than direct competitors such as bol.com, Coolblue or MediaMarkt. And that pays off: the webshop attracts more customers.