Online fashion marketplace Zalando has today reported a 21.6% rise in gross merchandise volume in the third quarter, mainly driven by the inclusion in the period of its newly acquired About You business.
It also announced a five-year partnership with DFB, the German national football federation, as it seeks to capitalise on the growing sportswear category.
Gross merchandise volume (GMV), a key revenue metric measuring the value of all goods sold, came in at €4.2 billion in the quarter.
Assuming About You had been part of the group in the prior-year period, quarterly GMV increased by 6.7%, the company said.
Zalando has focused on higher-priced brands and the growing sportswear category, along with scaling up its partner business, as it faces competition from fast-fashion retailers with cheaper offerings such as Shein.
Quarterly revenue, which includes revenues from its logistics network offer and marketing services, rose 26.5% to €3 billion, surpassing analysts expectations of €2.9 billion according to LSEG data.
The company's earnings, however, were a touch below expectations, according to a local trader.
Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) in the quarter increased to €96m from €93m a year earlier.
Zalando said its logo would be featuring on all training and pre-match kits for DFB men's, women's, and youth teams. The partnership, which comes ahead of the football World Cup next year, included a wide range of marketing rights, it said.
