Shoptet is a Prague-based technology company that provides solutions for the creation and management of 43,000 mostly Czech and Slovak e-shops. Among its successful clients are, for example, the family bedding company Darré, as well as the dietary supplement e-shop BrainMarket.
Shoptet is a major player on the Czech e-commerce scene, holding roughly a 40% market share. Last year, the company earned revenues of CZK 718 million, representing more than a one-third increase compared to the previous year.
This year has also started well for Shoptet. In the first half of the year, the company continued to grow. Total revenues reached CZK 400 million, with EBITDA profit at CZK 152 million. Although the company has always focused on helping beginning entrepreneurs, many of those it supported have since grown significantly. Along with that, the company’s strategy has also shifted. According to Buben, Shoptet now provides brands with tools, support, and freedom to grow.
Shoptet’s owner, billionaire Ondřej Tomek, had initially hired advisors from the American investment boutique Stifel to handle the sales process. However, as he was dissatisfied with their results—specifically with the valuation of Shoptet by investors—he essentially continued negotiations with potential buyers on his own. After a lengthy bidding process, he finally reached an agreement with one of them, helped by the company’s strong financial results.
The new owner of Shoptet is set to become the Belgian company Team.blue. Founded in 2019 by merging three web-hosting platforms—Combell Group, TransIP Group, and Register Group—Team.blue has since become one of the largest players on the European market.
From domain registration and web hosting, Team.blue gradually expanded its portfolio to include website and e-shop creation, additional e-commerce solutions, and cloud services. Today, it serves more than three million customers across 22 European countries.
According to Hospodářské noviny, the value of the transaction should be around EUR 150 million (approximately CZK 3.5 billion), which is about one billion more than was initially speculated in connection with Shoptet’s sale.
However, the company later stated that the actual value of the transaction was significantly higher. The parties involved do not wish to disclose or comment on the details of the sale.
Shoptet was founded in 2009 by Tomáš Krejčí and Miroslav Uďan. Five years later, Krejčí’s 70% stake was bought out by investor Tomek, former co-owner of the portal Centrum.cz, who helped Shoptet break through in Slovakia and Hungary as well.
Today, the company is headquartered in the Port7 complex in Prague’s Holešovice district and employs about 250 people in total. Uďan, who was Shoptet’s CEO until 2021, and Krejčí are no longer with the company and are pursuing their own projects.
