Probably the two best-known German online start-ups in the wine industry are coming together under one roof. Vicampo.de GmbH will be taken over by the Swedish VIVA Wine Group and integrated into the German subsidiary VIVA eCom Group. The Swedes entered the German market in 2019 with the acquisition of Wine in Black. This marks a reunion, as Vicampo and Wine in Black were created in 2011 from a joint founding project, the founders of which then went their separate ways with the establishment of Wine in Black.
While Stephan Linden, the last founder of Wine in Black, left the company in 2019, Vicampo founders Max and Felix Gärtner will remain on board. Together with Christian Fricke, the previous managing director of the VIVA eCom Group, they form the joint management of Vicampo.de GmbH and the VIVA eCom Group. Daniel Nitz, as CTO also on the management board of Vicampo, on the other hand, is leaving the company, a departure that according to the VIVA eCom Group had been planned for some time.
Dynamic Swedish wine group
Emil Sallnäs, founder and CEO of the VIVA Wine Group: "In recent years, we have not only grown significantly in our core countries in the Nordics but have also been able to successfully gain a foothold in eCommerce in other European countries through the foundation of the VIVA eCom Group. The acquisition of Vicampo.de GmbH is a milestone for further profitable growth of our group." Since the takeover in 2020, the group also includes the Vinexus Group, which offers high-performance processing logistics
Rumours that the Burda publishing house as majority owner and the founders of Vicampo were interested in selling the company had been circulating in the industry for several months. The Corona pandemic had driven the business of the online wine trade and also that of Vicampo enormously, so the timing of the sale seems favourable.
Max Gärtner, founder and managing partner of Vicampo.de GmbH comments in a joint press release: "Vicampo has become one of the leading and most successful wine retailers in Germany in recent years. Together with our team of almost 200 highly motivated and talented employees, we want to build on this success in the coming years. Together with the teams and strong brands of the VIVA Wine Group, we are now looking forward to ushering in the next phase of our company."
Aiming for a turnover of €100 million
Christian Fricke is also looking to the future: "With the merger under the umbrella of the VIVA eCom Group, with Vicampo, Wine in Black, Vinexus and the project Weinfürst, which was launched in 2019, we have a portfolio of successful B2C brands that complement each other perfectly. At the same time, we are using the know-how and expertise of our teams in Berlin, Mainz and Butzbach to grow even faster in the future."
In the 2019 financial year, Vicampo achieved a net profit of €750,000 for the first time on sales of €41.4 million. No figures are yet available for 2020. However, they are expected to significantly exceed the 2019 result. Wine in Black also reported a positive result for the first time in 2019 with an annual profit of €535,000.
For the current year, Christian Fricke hopes for a total turnover of the VIVA eCom Group in the range of €100 million. Fricke is convinced that the two companies are an excellent match. While Vicampo focuses on the mid-price segment, Wine in Black focuses on the premium segment. "In terms of culture and way of thinking, we fit together very well. We are two true digital companies." cg
