Lagos, May, 2013 – Jumia.com, Africa’s fastest growing
online retailer, confirmed that global telecommunications group Millicom
International Cellular S.A plans to increase its stake in Jumia.com’s holding
company from 20 to 35%. This additional €85 million investment in the parent group
is part of a €340 million agreementsigned in August 2012. Of the €85m, €35m
will be invested in Africa. It is in addition to recent investments from J.P.
Morgan and Summit Partners.
Three recently-launched and highly promising ventures will
also benefit from Millicom’s new investment: Kaymu.com, a marketplace to help
small merchants reach new customers, Hellofood.com, a food delivery service already
present in over ten and Vamido.com, a real estate classified website.
Jeremy Hodara and Sacha Poignonnec, Jumia.com’s Co-founders
and CEOs: “This investment confirms Millicom’s trust in our ability to become
the leading e-commerce group in Africa. It will give us the financial power to
increase even more our leadership position in fast growing markets such as
Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Kenya and to expand to new countries fast. Our
goal is clear: We want to create the best shopping experience in Africa,
offering the widest assortment and state-of-the-art delivery service.”
Hans-Holger Albrecht, Millicom’s President and CEO, commented:
“Sooner than we thought, our joint ventures in Africa have achieved leading
positions in key segments of the growing online market. The opportunities look
even greater than when we first decided to invest in them. In Africa,
e-commerce could hasten the evolution of the established retail sector as
consumers increasingly adopt the digital lifestyle. That is why such timely
investment is of essence. We are pleased today to give our partners our
reiterated financial and operational support to allow proper planning and
execution. Online is emerging as one of the four pillars of Millicom’s strategy
to transform into a digital lifestyle leader.”
About Jumia.com
Jumia.com is Africa’s fastest growing online retailer with
operations in Nigeria, Egypt, Morocco, and Kenya. Jumia.com offers all
categories of products, including apparel, shoes, fashion accessories,
electronics, household appliance, toys, and books. Jumia.com offers
best-in-class customer experience, with free delivery, free returns, and
cash-on-delivery payment. Jumia.com has been launched in spring 2012 with the
support of the leading venture builder and accelerator Rocket Internet GmbH. Jumia.com’s
shareholders include Millicom International Cellular S.A., Investment AB
Kinnevik, J.P. Morgan Asset Management, Summit Partners, and Rocket Internet GmbH.
Jumia is present in Nigeria with www.jumia.com.ng,
Egypt with www.jumia.com.eg, Morocco with
www.jumia.ma, and Kenya with www.jumia.co.ke.
About Kaymu.com
Launched in Nigeria in winter 2013, Kaymu.com.ng is a
marketplace that helps small merchants and individuals reach new customers or
sell used products.
Kaymu.com.ng facilitates buying and selling online all
across Nigeria. It features auction style and fixed price offers to suit the
need of every seller and gives a unique experience to buyers. It offers sellers
the opportunity to own a shop on Kaymu.com.ng where they can sell their products
to the growing numbers of Nigerians online and offer buyers the opportunity to
get deals on a big selection of new and used items ranging from fashion to
electronics and even unique collectibles or gifts. Soon after launch, Kaymu.com.ng
already had over 6,000 products listed and more than 6,000 buyers and sellers
registered. For more information, please visit www.kaymu.com.ng.
About Hellofood.com
Launched in November 2012, Hellofood.com is a food delivery
platform that enables customers to order food from their favorite restaurants
in each city. Now operating in Nigeria, Kenya, Morocco, Ghana, Senegal and
Ivory Coast, Hellofood.com has attracted several hundred independent
restaurants and international chains as partners. Customers can order all of their
favorite types of food in each city, and look to Hellofood.com for a wide
choice of cuisines and price points, as well as flawless user experience and a
flexible ordering process that now includes iPhone and Android apps. Hellofood
is present in Nigeria with www.hellofood.com.ng,
Kenya with www.hellofood.co.ke,
Morocco with www.hellofood.ma, Ghana with
www.hellofood.com.gh, Senegal with www.hellofood.sn, and Ivory Coast with www.hellofood.ci.
About Vamido.com
Launched in Nigeria in winter 2013, Vamido.com.ng, is a real
estate classified portal. It enables realtors, landlords and sellers to reach
the widest audience while making it easier for home buyers and renters to search
for homes, apartments, commercial properties, and land using their criteria and
gives them access to most complete and thorough listings. Within a month, Vamido.com.ng
has quickly become Nigeria’s most sophisticated and trusted real estate portal
boasting the highest quality of listings, each professionally photographed by Vamido.com.ng’s
team of photographers and meticulously verified to avoid any fraudulent
postings. For more information, please visit www.vamido.com.ng.
About Millicom
Millicom
is a leading international telecommunications and media company dedicated to
emerging markets in Latin America and Africa. Operating in fifteen countries,
Millicom offers innovative and customer-centric products. The Millicom Group
employs more than 8,000 people and provides mobile services, access to the
internet, content and financial services to over 45 million customers. Founded
in 1990, Millicom International Cellular SA is headquartered in Luxembourg and
listed on NASDAQ OMX Stockholm under the symbol MIC. In 2012, Millicom generated
revenue of $4.81 billion and EBITDA of $2.07 billion. For more information
visit Millicom.com.
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