Bloom & Wild has acquired French rival Bergamotte for an undisclosed sum, marking its second European acquisition in four months.

Online florist Bloom & Wild said that its latest acquisition would grow its French business four-fold and give it a top-five position in the country’s flower market, as well allowing it to establish operations in Germany, where Bergamotte has recently expanded.

Bloom & Wild, which acquired Dutch rival Bloomon in April, is now Europe’s leading online flower and delivery company based on the number of deliveries.

The acquisition of Bergamotte will see the French florist’s CEO and co-founder Romain Raffard report directly to Bloom & Wild boss Aron Gelbard.

Separate to its acquisition, Bloom & Wild has also raised £50m in funding to drive its expansion ambitions, comprising £30m in new equity and a £20m debt facility. These funds follow the £75m equity fundraising it completed in January.

Gelbard said: We are rapidly extending our leadership of the European online flower and house plant market through the combination of strong organic growth and selective acquisitions. As markets continue their online transition, Bloom & Wild is best placed to capture this growth, given our expanding product range and the sophistication of our technology, data and marketing capabilities, in what is a growing £22bn European market opportunity.

“Our enlarged business has a wealth of international talent, deep-seated ambition and unrivalled scale, underpinned by strong investor backing. We will continue to build a profitable business that puts delivering for our customers, contributing to our communities and reducing our impact on the planet at its heart.”

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Consumer Week – September 13-17

Aron Gelbard will be one of the keynote speakers at Retail Week’s Consumer Week.

The pandemic has sent direct-to-consumer sales into overdrive as online sales accelerated and retailers turned to the web to meet their needs. 

And it’s not a passing fad: 73% of companies now sell DTC. As the market becomes more crowded, how can retailers make their offerings stand out to shoppers? And how can retailers yet to harness DTC make headway?

During an intimate fireside chat, hear from Bloom & Wild CEO and co-founder Aron Gelbard – a DTC brand breaking the mould.

Check out the agenda and register your place here.