Rohlik Group CEO Tomáš Čupr talks shift away from investment and towards profitability

Tomáš Čupr, CEO at European online grocery specialist Rohlik Group, has taken to social media to announce a major strategy shift, with the focus now on avoiding complexity and achieving profitability.

In a LinkedIn post, in which he shared a note sent to team members this week (see below for further details), he said: “2025 was a huge year - and the dynamics at this scale are very different from what most people are used to: -€1.3 billion net revenue (L12M), ~40% YoY growth; 2025 revenue ~10× 2019 (~47% CAGR); 2 million+ orders delivered in December for the first time; Budapest FC2 launched; Robotic picking arms went live, improving FC productivity ; Launched the world’s first AutoStore grid with automated expedition; Group cash turned positive in Q4 2025 for the first time; Veloq launched.

He added: “At this speed, “textbook” playbooks have to be adapted. Complexity creeps in fast - layers, roadmaps, hand offs, overalignment. If you don’t actively simplify, you lose speed and edge. We also missed our bottomline plan by ~€10 million (<1% of revenue) and reprioritised investments. I own that. It’s a signal to raise urgency, deliver faster, and protect our unit economics - not erode them through complexity or unfocused investment.”

The focus, therefore, is on simplifying things: fewer hand offs, clearer accountability, smaller teams with real ownership, and leadership changes to accelerate decisions and execution. “We’ll do it with respect for people, and with customers as the north star.”

He concluded: “Some see a shift toward profitability as “slowing down.” I see it as building the war chest - so we can invest aggressively again, from strength and with focus. Full 2026 will be a profitable year - and we will still invest a lot. Now we build.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Grocery retail will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.