Letterbox flower company Bloom & Wild acquires French rival Bergamotte

LONDON, UK: British online flower delivery service Bloom & Wild has bought French rival Bergamotte, creating the largest online business by deliveries in Europe’s market for flowers and houseplants. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Both companies will continue to operate under their existing brand names with Bergamotte further bolstering its market position at home and in Germany. Bloom & Wild will continue to serve its home market while also venturing into the Netherlands (bloomon) and Ireland.

In November 2019, Bloom & Wild’s chief operating officer Paul Burton joined Union Fleurs’ annual conference Floriforum as keynote speaker explaining how the company is a champion in the world of metrics, marketing and branding.

Bloom & Wild, which made a name with bouquets that can fit through a letterbox, has grown by leaps and bounds since its inception in 2013. In April, co-founder and chief executive Aron Gelbard announced just over £100m in sales in the year ending March 2021, compared to £29m two years earlier. That same month Bloom & Wild brought the news it has acquired Dutch based online flower delivery service bloomon.

By putting their signatures under the Anglo-French agreement Aron Gelbard, CEO and co-founder of Bloom & Wild and Romain Raffard, CEO and Co-founder of Bergamotte hope to deliver 8 million online bouquets of flowers and plants in the next year and have forecast a €250 million turnover.

The deal more than quadruples the size of Bloom & Wild’s French business overnight and secures a top 5 leading position in the country’s online flower delivery market, where also platforms such as Aquarelle, Bebloom and Monsieur Marguerite attract floral customers online.

Bergamotte has also recently expanded into Germany, further strengthening Bloom & Wild’s footprint and expertise in this important market. The deal consolidates Bloom & Wild’s position in the growing £22 billion European flower and house plant market, which is transitioning online.

Like Bloom & Wild, Bergamotte is direct to consumer online flower and plant business that was founded by Romain Raffard and Loïc Reperant in December 2015. Fast-growing and with strong brand recognition in France, Bergamotte runs a team of some 80 out of Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. In addition to one-off gifting and flower subscriptions, Bergamotte has a well-developed plant range, which includes large indoor and outdoor plants, and this year also began offering outdoor furniture.

There are substantial synergies to be realised from Bergamotte’s insights, expertise and supplier relationships in the houseplant market. The deal will more than double Bloom & Wild’s plant revenue across Europe and the expertise gained will act as a springboard to accelerate growth in this important market segment, which makes up just under one-third of the combined flower and plant market. From a marketing perspective, Bergamotte uses pop-up stores as an important feature of its brand-building strategy, which will provide interesting fresh opportunities for the wider business.