Alicante based e commerce platform Planeta Huerto has adjusted its strategic direction. The business, founded by Pablo and Alfonso Sánchez in its early years and now part of the Carrefour group, moved from prioritizing revenue growth to strengthening cost control and profitability. The leadership team has signaled a shift toward cost effectiveness and a more disciplined approach to expansion.
Evidence of this pivot appears in the company’s annual accounts filed with the Commercial Registry. Revenue in 2022 shows a decline after a string of gains in prior years. The Alicante company, known for wellness products, reported a turnover of 25.5 million euros, down by 5.8 percent from the previous year, contrasting with a 17 percent rise in 2021 during lockdown conditions, and an 85 percent jump in 2020 from the year before.
The drop in sales came alongside higher personnel costs and increased use of external services, resulting in a year with a net loss of 3.4 million euros, compared with a 1.3 million euro loss the previous year.
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The accompanying management report explains the observed changes and a strategic reorientation for Planeta Huerto. With the customer database now reaching its target size, the executives indicated that further investments to grow audience and traffic were no longer necessary. The decision signals a reduced emphasis on traffic generation and audience acquisition as part of the portal strategy.
At the same time, the firm announced a tighter product catalog. The focus is on a smaller, carefully curated range that embodies the firm philosophy of healthy living and sustainable products. A major investment continues to be the development of its own brand, a project started in 2020.
descents
Turnover had already tolling during the shift in direction, and management anticipated further declines in 2023 with revenue forecast at about 16.6 million euros. Yet, due to the adjustments, Planeta Huerto expects to reach positive EBITDA in 2023, with the full benefit likely realized in 2024 after accounting for depreciation linked to heavy investments made in recent years.
The new strategy aims to secure more recurring purchases by retaining a focused customer base. A narrower product line is seen as a pathway to stability, though it also necessitated a revised employment model. The company reported the elimination of 36 positions in line with the restructuring plan.
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Support from the current owner remains steady. Greenweez, a subsidiary of the Carrefour group that holds Planeta Huerto, reinforced its backing with a capital increase in December of the prior year. An issue premium of 4.2 million euros accompanied a 1.9 million euro cash infusion to capitalize loans provided between November 2021 and November 2022. Additional lending from Carrefour continues to sustain Planeta Huerto’s operations.
In the most recent year, Planeta Huerto derived about 90.7 percent of its sales from Spain, with the remainder largely directed to other European Union markets.
Five years under Carrefour control
After playing a key role in one of Alicante’s notable startup launches, founders Pablo and Alfonso Sánchez sold the entire stake to Greenweez, a Carrefour unit, in October 2018. The multinational has actively supported the company’s growth with funding rounds and capital injections nearly every year to offset losses tied to the e commerce business. This pattern is common in the early stages of digital ventures as they scale.