Ahold Delhaize looks to strengthen Etos through bol.com

Dutch drugstore chain Etos is to start selling through webshop bol.com. With this move, both Ahold Delhaize subsidiaries are looking to strengthen their synergies.

“Bol.com is new shopping street”

“Bol.com is like a new shopping street, one where we also have to be with an Etos store”, CEO Saskia Egas Reparaz told local station BNR. In 2020, the drugstore chain wants to expand its online distribution to bol.com’s platform, while continuing its own web shop. Fulfilment from both channels will be dealt with by bol.com. It is not yet known what precise part of its product range Etos will offer on its new platform.

Etos wants to become more visible through this step, as well as learning the tricks of the online trade from bol.com. Moreover, the new platform will give Etos access to interesting consumer data. Using data from platforms and stores, the chain wants to be able to better estimate which products and services are popular among customers, allowing Etos to create a new and different private label range.

The new stress on e-commerce does not mean a deterioration for Etos’ stores: Egas Reparaz says the chain wants to stay as close to the consumers as possible, keeping a close eye on its store network. Opening new stores is not an option, except for when they act as replacement for ageing stores. Today, there are 564 physical Etos stores in the Netherlands.