Zalando and About You announce that they have completed their strategic merger, which will enable them to better serve customers and partners across Europe. Thanks to their complementary business-to-consumer and business-to-business offerings, the two founder-led companies will create a pan-European ecosystem for fashion and lifestyle e-commerce.
On 1 July 2025, the European Commission approved the transaction, including the voluntary public takeover bid to About You shareholders. Zalando has now acquired 91.45% of About You’s share capital.
Zalando still intends, as a next step, to proceed with the squeeze-out (compulsory purchase right by the bidder on the remaining shares following a previous takeover bid) of the remaining minority shareholders of About You and to acquire the remaining shares of About You for an appropriate cash consideration. The squeeze-out will take place as part of a merger of About You into a wholly owned subsidiary of Zalando.
Since announcing their intention to collaborate on 11 December 2024, both Zalando and About You have been preparing for this next phase. Each company has developed plans to ensure a smooth collaboration and a clear focus on creating joint value after the closing, with the aim of combining their complementary strengths while preserving their unique identities.
“Both companies have grown from local start-ups to capture significant market share in Europe, understanding customer needs in many markets and driven by a relentless focus on quality and innovation. Together, we will work to become an unbeatable team and lead the European fashion and lifestyle e-commerce industry,” said Robert Gentz, co-CEO and co-founder of Zalando, in a statement. (in the photo) – In B2C, we offer customers and brands two distinct and rich shopping experiences. In B2B, by combining our complementary logistics and software capabilities Zeos, Tradebyte and Scayle, we will create an even more advanced e-commerce operating system that will enable brands and retailers to manage their multi-channel business in Europe and beyond.
“At the heart of this collaboration is our shared commitment to redefining fashion and lifestyle shopping and creating real value for our customers and partners. We are excited to join forces with Zalando to drive innovation and realise new growth opportunities for Scayle and About You,” says Tarek Müller, co-founder and co-CEO of About You. – This strategic move opens the door to a great collaboration, while allowing us to remain true to the individuality and energy that characterise About You.
About You’s activities add scale and complementary capabilities, fully aligning with Zalando’s ecosystem strategy, announced in March 2024, which aims to build a pan-European e-commerce ecosystem dedicated to fashion and lifestyle. The transaction presents value creation opportunities that the two companies, operating in the same sector, can generate by collaborating in a wide range of areas, including B2B, logistics, payments and commercial collaboration. In the long term, Zalando is targeting significant Group EBIT synergies of approximately €100 million per year.
In the B2C growth vector, the addition of About You will enable Zalando to implement a dual-brand strategy. Each brand will retain its distinctive identity while leveraging synergies in logistics, payment infrastructure and commercial collaboration. This strategic move will enable the combined entity to offer personalised and separate shopping experiences, effectively meeting the unique needs and preferences of customers.
In the B2B growth vector, Scayle by About You complements Zalando’s B2B vision of building an operating system for fashion and lifestyle. Zeos, Tradebyte and Scayle are joining forces to help brands and retailers manage their multi-channel business in Europe and beyond with a suite of logistics, software and services offerings.
The members of the About You board of directors, Sebastian Betz, Tarek Müller and Hannes Wiese, will continue their work in their current roles as part of the combined group.
In support of management’s belief in the value creation of this transaction, Zalando also confirmed its medium-term outlook for the combined group in December 2024. Zalando, including About You, is expected to deliver GMV and revenue growth through 2028 with a five-year compound annual growth rate of between 5% and 10%1. The combined group expects an adjusted EBIT margin in 2028 of between 6% and 8%, with a significant increase in absolute profit thanks to the creation of a larger combined group. Together, Zalando and About You aim to cover a larger share of the European fashion market, worth €450 billion, in the long term.
Zalando will provide an initial forecast for the full year 2025 for the combined business when it publishes its second quarter results on 6 August 2025.
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