- Vanessa Stützle will join LUQOM GROUP from DOUGLAS in September 2022; Jochen Wilms, currently CEO of LUQOM GROUP, to become Chairman
- further strengthening of the management team following Dr Christian Korte joining as COO in January 2022
- LUQOM GROUP increased sales by approx. 50 percent to over EUR 350 million in 2021 and successfully continues its profitable growth course

Berlin, 22 March 2022 – LUQOM GROUP, Europe's leading digital platform for lighting fixtures, has appointed Vanessa Stützle as its new CEO as of September 2022. Vanessa Stützle joins from DOUGLAS, Europe's leading premium beauty group, where she was most recently Chief Digital Officer and Member of the Executive Board. She succeeds Jochen Wilms, who will take over as Chairman of the Advisory Board.

In addition to Vanessa Stützle, the new LUQOM GROUP management team consists of Dr Oliver Merz, who has been with the company since 2018 and serves as Deputy CEO and CFO, and Dr Christian Korte, who took over as COO from Dr Oliver Merz at the beginning of the year. Together with the CEOs of LUQOM GROUP’s subsidiaries, they have set themselves the goal of continuing the company's profitable growth path. In 2021, LUQOM GROUP increased its sales by approx. 50 percent year-on-year to over EUR 350 million.

Strong leader with impressive track record
"Vanessa Stützle has extensive expertise in successfully building international platforms and digital business models. We are convinced that she will successfully lead LUQOM GROUP into its next growth phase. The company has great potential that can be realised under Vanessa Stützle's leadership. We are delighted to have been able to attract Vanessa Stützle as CEO", says Peter Wirtz, Chairman of the Advisory Board of LUQOM GROUP and Co-Head of Private Equity at 3i. "At the same time, I would like to thank Jochen Wilms for his outstanding commitment to building and developing the company. We are delighted that Jochen Wilms will continue to contribute to LUQOM GROUP as Chairman in the future."

Vanessa Stützle says: "LUQOM GROUP is a company with an excellent market position and impressive growth prospects – a true hidden champion. I look forward to further expanding its position as Europe's leading digital platform for lighting fixtures together with the LUQOM GROUP team and continuing to drive the company's profitable growth."

Vanessa Stützle has almost 20 years of experience in the field of digitalisation in retail. She joins from DOUGLAS, where she was most recently Chief Digital Officer and Member of the Executive Board, responsible for e-commerce and marketplace, omni-channel, CRM, retail media sales and data strategy. At DOUGLAS, she and her team have developed the company into the leading beauty platform and significantly strengthened the market leadership by tripling e-commerce sales to EUR 1.2 billion. Before joining DOUGLAS in 2018, Vanessa Stützle worked for s.Oliver Group, where she was Chief Digital Officer and managed the e-commerce business of all brands of the Group and built up one of the largest mono-label shops in Europe in the fashion segment.

In addition, Dr Christian Korte has been Chief Operating Officer (COO) of LUQOM GROUP since January 2022. He also joins from DOUGLAS, where he was responsible for its supply chain as Group COO and for DOUGLAS' own brands as Managing Director.

Leading European platform on growth path
The LUQOM GROUP has grown strongly in recent years – both organically and through strategic acquisitions. Last year, LUQOM GROUP acquired Lampemesteren, the leading online shop for exclusive lamps and premium lighting design in Northern Europe. Already in 2019, LUQOM GROUP expanded its portfolio by acquiring QLF, the online market leader in Benelux, thereby strengthening its presence in the entry-level price segment. The nucleus of the LUQOM GROUP is Lampenwelt, a leading digital provider for high-quality products in all price categories in the European market. In 2021, LUQOM GROUP increased its sales by around 50 percent from EUR 235 million to over EUR 350 million. The company achieved the majority of the revenue increase through organic growth. Since its foundation in 2017, the company has become Europe's leading digital platform for lighting fixtures. LUQOM GROUP provides more than 500 suppliers with direct access to private and commercial customers across 27 countries – whether via online shops or the most important European digital marketplaces.

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About LUQOM GROUP
LUQOM GROUP is the leading online platform for luminaires and lighting solutions in Europe. The company provides direct access to private and business customers in 27 countries for more than 500 brand partners – whether via its online shops or via the most important European marketplaces. In total, customers will find more than 50,000 available products in LUQOM GROUP's online shops and channels: from value-level to premium design segment, from private label brands to renowned design products.

LUQOM GROUP targets both consumers (B2C) and professional clients (B2B). All target groups benefit from our strong customer service which is tailored to local needs. B2B customers also value that we support them with lighting planning and other consulting services. LUQOM GROUP aims to create the best journey to individually design living spaces with light. The company employs a total of more than 850 people.

Further information can be found at: www.luqom.com

Contact
Kathrin Meyer (Finsbury Glover Hering)
T +49 160 536 09 65
E press@luqom.com