European market leader RetailSonar acquires German ladeplan and fortifies its position in location planning for EV charging infrastructure
RetailSonar has been growing rapidly in the European market over the past 4 years with its ChargePlanner solution. The ChargePlanner solution is an intelligent, AI-driven geomarketing platform that combines geodata and predictive modelling to ensure accurate location decisions for EV chargers. Similarly, ladeplan is one of the most promising startups, with exponential growth in just 3 years. Through this merger, both companies aim to find synergies to accelerate international growth in the e-mobility sector.
A unique strategic opportunity for RetailSonar
This merger creates high potential for synergies. In just 12 years, RetailSonar has grown to European market leader in location planning solutions with more than 200 international customers in over 16 countries.
"Each year, our clients collectively open, close or optimize more than 10,000 locations using insights from our software. The strength of our platform lies in the combination of intelligently gathered market data with our expertise in building highly accurate predictive models." ~Dieter Debels, CEO of RetailSonar
In 2021, RetailSonar introduced ChargePlanner as a solution to meet the needs of the rapidly growing EV charging market—an ambition shared by ladeplan.
“It’s no coincidence that ‘ladeplan’ is almost a literal translation of ‘ChargePlanner’, we have been operating in parallel with the same passion and goals in mind. Now we can do this together.” ~Dieter Debels, CEO of RetailSonar
Joining forces: Combining the strengths of both solution
With three highly skilled founders and a motivated team, ladeplan has built an extensive knowledge base and network in e-Mobility in Hamburg, Germany—where RetailSonar is also operating. In just three years the company has had more than 50 clients such as Audi, Pfalzwerke and Telekom Comfortcharge. They have a proven track record in answering the needs of the market.
“By joining forces, we’ll be able to accelerate our innovations such as truck charging, the integration of E-grid data, and generating insights for smart charging — and now we have the opportunity to collaborate directly.” ~Lorenz Pott, co-founder of ladeplan
Existing ladeplan clients can rest assured: They can continue to rely on the current ladeplan solution.
“Moreover, ladeplan customers will benefit from more options in the future, with the possibility to access additional solutions. Truck charging for example is breaking through in Germany and many customers are urgently seeking solutions for location planning.” ~Till Schlief, co-founder of ladeplan
In the coming months, the ladeplan team will be fully integrated into RetailSonar.
“We’re excited to become part of RetailSonar, share our knowledge, and continue the development of smart solutions in the world of e-mobility.” ~Benjamin Kasten, co-founder of ladeplan
Picture: From left to right: Till Schlief, Lorenz Pott, and Benjamin Kasten
European expansion in figures
Founded in 2012, RetailSonar is a Belgian scale-up with offices in Ghent (Belgium), Paris (France), Utrecht (the Netherlands) and Hamburg (Germany).
From these offices, a team of more than 60 experts supports over 200 European customers such as Total Energies, Q8, Action, McDonalds, Jumbo, Basic Fit and Decathlon are served.
This acquisition is part of a broader growth strategy for RetailSonar.
“In the coming years, we aim to accelerate even more— through targeted acquisitions and other international investments. Today, Europe is our focus but there’s undeniable potential in other continents as well.” ~Dieter Debels, CEO of RetailSonar
Contact
Dieter Debels
CEO and founder of RetailSonar
Dieter.debels@retailsonar.com
www.retailsonar.com
