Berlin-based web-only shoe and apparel retailer Zalando announced today that its sales for the first half of 2014 totaled 1.05 billion euros ($1.38 billion), up 29.5% from 809 million euros ($1.06 billion) a year earlier. Sales in its core markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland rose 21.2% to reach 594 million euros ($782.6 million) compared with 490 million euros ($645.6 million) a year earlier. 

The retailer says it also achieved profitability in the first half by improving efficiency and decreasing the cost of sales, fulfillment and marketing.

For the second quarter, the retailer reports:

• Total sales increased 24.9% to reach 546 million euros, ($719.5 million) compared with 437 million euros ($575.8 million) a year earlier.
• Sales in its core markets of Germany, Austria and Switzerland rose 15.7 % to 310 million euros ($408.5 million) compared with 268 million euros ($353.13 million) a year earlier.
• The Zalando mobile app is now available in all of Zalando’s international markets, and mobile traffic now accounts for 41% of total traffic.
• At the end of Q2, consumers had downloaded Zalando’s app more than 3.8 million times.
• Zalando racked up 323 million total visits in the second quarter of 2014 up 9.8% from 294 million a year earlier.
• Active customers who had purchased within the last year grew to 13.7 million up 18.1% from 11.6 million at the end of Q2 2013.

The ramp-up of operations at the new fulfilment center in Mönchengladbach, Germany, is also on track, Zalando said in its financial release. 

Zalando is No. 9 in the Internet Retailer Europe 500 with web sales of 1.76 billion euros ($2.32 billion) in 2013, up 53% from 1.15 billion euros ($1.52) a year earlier.