Coolblue

Coolblue is a Dutch e-commerce company that was founded in 1999 by Pieter Zwart (CEO), Paul de Jong, and Bart Kuijpers. The company operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. As of 2022 it has 22 physical stores. In 2022, Coolblue reported a revenue of €2,35 billion, with a profit (EBITDA) of €43,4 million.[2]

This article is about the company. For the film, see Cool Blue.

Coolblue B.V.
TypePrivate company
IndustryEcommerce
Founded1999 (1999)
FoundersPieter Zwart (CEO)
Paul de Jong
Bart Kuijpers
Headquarters
Rotterdam
,
Netherlands
Area served
Netherlands, Belgium, Germany
Number of employees
6114 (2022)[1]
Websitecoolblue.nl

History

The company was founded in 1999 by Pieter Zwart (CEO), Paul de Jong, and Bart Kuijpers. Coolblue operates in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. The company started as separate webshops such as MP3man.nl, PDAshop.nl, and Laptopshop.nl,[3] but all domains were merged into the Coolblue.nl domain in 2018.[4]

The company currently has a Dutch, Belgian, and German website and has 15 physical stores in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The company started with a distribution center in Capelle aan den IJssel, but moved to an entirely new distribution center in 2013. Over the years, this Tilburg distribution center expanded to its current size of 88,000 m2. In 2016, Coolblue launched its own van delivery service, CoolblueDelivers.[5] The company further expanded its delivery proposition in 2018, when it introduced CoolblueBikes.[6]

The name Coolblue is the opposite of Hot-Orange, which used to be an online warehouse that outsourced its operations to third parties, was financed externally, and didn't have a customer service. Coolblue's founders wanted to do the exact opposite, and reflected this intention in the name of their company.[7]

Coolblue was voted best webshop in the Netherlands in the consumer electronics category by Thuiswinkel Awards in 2012 and 2013. From 2013 to 2022, Coolblue won the Tweakers award for Best Webshop of the Netherlands and Belgium every year.[8][9][10]

In July 2020, Coolblue expanded to Germany.

Propositions

Coolblue currently offers a wide assortment of consumer electronics. Additionally, it sells and installs solar panels[11] and charging stations,[12] and offers Home Office Stores for employers. In January 2021, Coolblue announced its energy label, Coolblue Energy.[13]

Owners

All shares were owned by the three founders. On 31 March 2016, HAL Investments acquired a 20% stake.[14] On 6 July 2017, this was increased to 30.1% when the shares of two of the three founders were sold. On 14 June 2019, this percentage was increased to 49%, making HAL Investments Coolblue's main investor.

References
  1. Jansen, Gyurka (23 February 2023). "Coolblue weet omzet te laten groeien, maar kan hogere kosten niet volledig doorberekenen en voelt margedruk". Business Insider Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  2. Jansen, Gyurka (23 February 2023). "Coolblue weet omzet te laten groeien, maar kan hogere kosten niet volledig doorberekenen en voelt margedruk". Business Insider Nederland (in Dutch). Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  3. "Copie |van een brief by een goet heer uyt Naples geschreven aen een vriendt tot Amsterdam van dato den 30. julii, 1656". Dutch Pamphlets Online. doi:10.1163/2214-8264_dutchpamphlets-kb0-kb09104. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  4. "Coolblue groeit door onder één domein". Coolblue – Pers (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  5. "CoolblueBezorgt: Coolblue start met uitrol witgoedbezorging". Coolblue – Pers (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  6. "Coolblue start eigen bezorgservice per fiets: CoolblueFietst". Coolblue – Pers (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  7. Brink, Lydia van den (5 August 2014). "Coolblue: hard op weg naar social business". Marketingfacts. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  8. "ThuiswinkelAwards – Winnaars Publieksprijzen XL 2013". 4 November 2013. Archived from the original on 4 November 2013. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  9. "ThuiswinkelAwards – Winnaars 2012". 18 November 2012. Archived from the original on 18 November 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  10. "Tweakers Awards - Winnaars". tweakers.net. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  11. "Coolblue start met verkoop en installatie van zonnepanelen". Coolblue – Pers (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  12. "Coolblue start verkoop en installatie van laadpalen". Coolblue – Pers (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  13. "Coolblue start met aanbieden van energie". Coolblue – Pers (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  14. "HAL neemt belang in Coolblue". FD.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 19 February 2021.


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