Rebuy buys book-trade specialist Zeercle to add 1M titles a year
What's the deal? Rebuy, the Berlin recommerce platform, has acquired ZeercleDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a service specialising in the trade-in of used books, according to Handelsblatt. Zeercle organises used-book buybacks inside bookshop chains including HugendubelDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, France's CulturaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Italy's MondadoriDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →. The deal gives Rebuy roughly one million additional books a year.
What's the endgame? Through Zeercle's partnerships, Rebuy gains its first direct presence in physical retail. Customers can trade in used books at participating shops, and Rebuy resells them via its platform. That extends a model that has been mostly online into bricks-and-mortar stores and opens a fresh supply channel.
Why does it matter? In 2024, Rebuy sold 9.7 million used books and generated just over €70 million in revenue. Adding a million titles annually strengthens both its range and its sourcing.
What's the competitive angle? Zeercle could also have appealed to Momox, a key Rebuy rival in used media. By acquiring it, Rebuy secures stock and retail partners while weakening a competitor in a market where access to inventory is decisive.
The signal: The deal shows how tightly physical bookshops and digital recommerce can now interlock. Zeercle collects books where they are read; Rebuy resells them. It underlines that the second-hand book market increasingly turns on partnerships and supply, not online reach alone.
Read more: etailment
Image credit: uitdragerij
