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Bloomberg
HelloFresh, the meal-kit startup backed by Rocket Internet SE that plans an initial public offering in Frankfurt, is telling investors that it’s set to overtake its rival Blue Apron Inc. in the US in the near term.
HelloFresh generated sales of $169 million in the US in the second quarter, up from 120 million euros in the first three months of the year, according to an investor presentation seen by Bloomberg News. If the Berlin-based startup can sustain that growth rate, it could top Blue Apron’s revenue in the third or fourth quarter.
“We have huge momentum in the US market and are poised to overtake our biggest competitor in the near term,†HelloFresh wrote in the presentation for potential IPO investors. “We have out executed Blue Apron across all dimensions.†Ahead of its planned IPO that aims to raise as much as 300 million euros, HelloFresh is trying to convince investors it’s better than Blue Apron, which has lost almost half its value since going public in June.
The US company has struggled with higher costs and a decline in customers, just as Amazon.com Inc.’s purchase of Whole Foods Market Inc. highlighted the growing competition in the food business.
HelloFresh, which is active in about nine markets, in August reported an increase in sales and customers in the second quarter while New York-based Blue Apron said it’s losing clients. In the presentation, HelloFresh compared more of its metrics with those of Blue Apron to show it’s outperforming the US rival, including total meals delivered, operating profit margin and app downloads. Still, both companies are still losing money as they invest in courting new customers.