German Knuspr.de looks back on a successful first year with facts, figures and insights into expansion plans
PRAGUE, MUNICH, August 12, 2022 - The first Knuspr delivery van setting off from its warehouse in Garching near Munich on 12 August 2021 was the start of an online shopping experience revolution in Germany. The goal was simple: to supply, in time, all metropolitan areas in the country with fresh, regional and high-quality food online in the medium term and to become the number 1 online supermarket in Germany by 2024.
The start-up has gotten off to a flying start in Munich: In response to high demand from the Munich area, the delivery area was expanded to include the cities of Erding, Freising and even Augsburg just a few months after launch. The launch of the second location in the Rhine-Main area only six months later was so successful that customer growth in the first months even exceeded that in Munich. The parent company, the Rohlik Group, is already in the black in the Czech Republic with the same concept. But no location of the international group can look back on such a rapid development as Munich and Frankfurt. As of today, the number of customers in Germany has grown to 90,000. In the first year, more than 500,000 orders were delivered, and about 30 percent of the turnover is generated from the sale of organic products alone. Top sellers are fresh produce such as regional fruit and vegetables as well as baked goods. Among the ten best-selling products are, for example, pretzels from the regional bakery Piller from Karlsfeld near Munich (over 39,000 orders) or organic cucumbers (65,000 orders).
Since day one, Knuspr has been proving that it does things differently through particularly close partnerships with small regional businesses, a wide range of around 12,000 products per location and innovative internal logistics. Knuspr CEO Erich Čomor says: “We are proud that we were able to thoroughly shake up the online food market already in the first year. The figures prove that our regional sourcing concept is well received and works. For a year now, our customers have been rating Knuspr with the top score of 5.0 on Google, with more than 50 percent of new customers becoming aware of us through word-of-mouth and existing customers. That is a real sign of trust that is unmatched in the industry. And, while others are driving small farmers to ruin with predatory prices and products from inappropriate animal husbandry programs, we want to grow together with our regional suppliers by supporting our Genuss-Helden (Small Producers & Suppliers Program) programme.”
Knuspr's success is underpinned by investor confidence. For example, in the midst of the current market turmoil, the parent Rohlik Group was able to close a €220 million financing round less than two months ago. On the other hand, current studies speak a clear language regarding the future of the online grocery market in this country. For example, the results of the current "Grocery Insights Report" shows that the online share of grocery purchases could already account for 10 to 15 percent of the total market by 2030. Knuspr is well prepared for this: In Germany alone, it employs around 1,400 people - including over 350 drivers, almost all of whom are permanent employees. The next location, Hamburg, is already in the pipeline, and other cities such as Essen and Cologne will follow. In addition, the parent company is making considerable investments in the technical development of its warehouses (fulfilment centres). For example, the dry area in the fulfilment centre in Garching near Munich is currently being equipped with AutoStore - an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS). This will simplify order picking and significantly increase capacity utilisation. In Hamburg, the AutoStore will be used for the first time in the dry and fresh produce sector - a forward-looking step on the way to the number 1 position Knuspr is striving for.
About Knuspr.de
The German online supermarket Knuspr delivers fresh and high-quality food directly to your home within three hours. The full range focuses on fresh produce such as fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, dairy products and baked goods. A key differentiator is product origin and logistics: Knuspr sources more than two thirds of its full range directly from producers and farmers, not from wholesalers and/or middlemen.
More than 30% of the assortment comes from regional suppliers, such as butchers and bakeries. In Munich, the Knuspr fulfilment centre in Garching serves as the single point of transshipment for all orders from the Munich and Augsburg areas, and the same applies to the Knuspr site in Bischofsheim and the Rhine-Main metropolitan region. This means that products can be delivered to customers' homes in the shortest possible time - in just a few hours after harvesting or production. With this innovative concept of fresh products, the wide range and fast delivery, Knuspr sees itself as a revolutionary player in the e-food business, aiming to reach around 30 million customers in Germany in the next three years. Locations in Hamburg, Cologne and other cities are already being planned. Subject to a certain order value, delivery is free of charge. Deliveries are made from Monday to Saturday between 7:00 and 22:00.