DOUGLAS sells online pharmacy Disapo and raises sales forecast. The DOUGLAS Group, Europe’s leading omnichannel provider for premium beauty, is reporting an upward trend thanks to a positive business performance and strong preliminary figures for the third quarter and the first nine months of the current financial year. As a result, the sales forecast for the year has been raised from around 7% to around 8.5%. At the same time, the company is on track to achieve its medium-term target of an adjusted EBITDA margin of around 18.5%. As part of the “Let it Bloom” strategy, the DOUGLAS Group is also increasingly focussing on its core Premium Beauty business by selling the online pharmacy Disapo to MYA Health B.V.
Further business success in the third quarter and first nine months
The preliminary figures show that the DOUGLAS Group was able to increase consolidated sales by 7.3% in the period from April to June. Both the shop business and the online division recorded growth of around 7.2% and 7.5% respectively. Overall, Group sales rose by 8.7% to 3.5 billion euros in the first nine months. The shop business grew by 8.2%, while the online business grew even more strongly with an increase of 9.8%. This success underlines the importance of the Group’s omnichannel model.
CEO Sander van der Laan commented positively: “We have developed strongly in recent years and months and increased our sales again in the third quarter. We are growing faster than expected and are becoming increasingly profitable at the same time. This is exactly how we want to continue.”
DOUGLAS sells online pharmacy Disapo – focus on premium beauty
As part of a clear focus on the premium beauty business, the DOUGLAS Group has decided to sell the online pharmacy Disapo to MYA Health B.V.. The sales agreement was signed on 16 July 2024 after successful due diligence and is expected to be completed by the end of July. The DOUGLAS Group expects the sale to improve profitability.
Disapo was acquired in 2022 as part of an earlier corporate strategy with the intention of entering the pharmacy market and combining beauty with health products. However, with the new growth strategy “Let it Bloom – DOUGLAS 2026”, the company has been focussing more strongly on its core business of premium beauty since the beginning of 2023. After careful consideration of various strategic options, the sale of Disapo to MYA Health was selected as the best solution.
The sale currently has no direct impact on the employees or business operations of the online pharmacy. MYA Health will acquire all shares and activities of Disapo as part of the transaction, including stock, the logistics centre and intellectual property.
Merger of Disapo and MYA Health
Disapo, based in Heerlen, the Netherlands, ships a wide range of over-the-counter and prescription medicines as well as cosmetics and food supplements from its logistics centre near Aachen. MYA Health from Amsterdam offers a mobile app with services for prescription medicines. The collaboration creates an all-in-one digital offering for people who rely on prescription medication.
The full financial figures for the third quarter will be published on 14 August 2024.
[Text: ecpnews/Photo: Douglas]
