Bol is growing mainly thanks to its sales partners, but their numbers are shrinking

External sales partners are becoming increasingly important to Bol’s growth, while its own online sales are barely growing at all. Notably, the e-commerce platform is achieving this growth with 17% fewer partners than three years ago. At the same time, Bol’s overall growth has nearly halved.

Partners Are Driving the Growth

Marketplace activities are increasingly becoming the main driver of Bol’s growth. According to Ecommerce News, which analyzed the quarterly figures of parent company Ahold Delhaize, online sales from external partners rose by 7.9% to 787 million euros in the third quarter. Other online revenue—including Bol’s own sales and the online operations of Etos and Gall & Gall—grew by a mere 0.7% to 773 million euros.