bol.com launched on 30 March 1999 as an online bookstore in the Netherlands and has grown into a general online store and marketplace for the Netherlands and Belgium. It expanded to Flanders in 2010 and to French-speaking Belgium in 2020. Ahold, now Ahold Delhaize, bought bol.com in 2012 for €350 million from the investors Cyrte Investments and NPM Capital. As of March 2026 bol reports about 14 million active customers and more than 43,000 sales partners, who sell most of the products on its platform.
bol.com is a wholly owned subsidiary of Koninklijke Ahold Delhaize N.V., the Dutch-Belgian food retail group behind Albert Heijn and Delhaize. Ahold Delhaize is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels and is widely held. Its largest disclosed investors are European and US asset managers. Ahold Delhaize prepared to list a minority stake in bol.com in 2022 but postponed the IPO, and it still owns 100% of the business. Many products sold on bol.com are made in China, and independent sellers list their own goods on its marketplace. Neither changes who owns bol.com.
Marketplace ranking and transparency (2024–2026). In 2024 the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) opened an investigation after sellers complained that bol.com favoured some offers in its search rankings. In August 2026 bol committed to change how it ranks offers, not to use seller data to give its own sales an advantage, and to show prices more clearly. The ACM put the commitments out for public consultation and did not impose a fine.
bol.com shows no evidence of Chinese ownership. It is 100% owned by Ahold Delhaize, a widely held Dutch-listed retail group with no Chinese shareholder above 5%. Products made in China are sold on the platform, but where a product is made does not determine who owns the retailer.
Online shops and marketplaces with no verified Chinese ownership or control.