NEWS
NEWS Torque awarded Ness Clothing contract
Ness is a lifestyle and clothing brand with 15 stores, 200+ stockists and an ecommerce website which ships to over 80 countries worldwide. As its contractor, Torque will provide services to include stock holding and storage, pick and pack, e-fulfilment and distribution direct to all UK stores and to end consumers. Torque will also hold the brand’s
wholesale stock, overseeing deliveries from the retailer’s suppliers and shipment into its Leeds distribution centre. Explaining the appointment, Kenny
Baillie, managing director, Ness Clothing said: “Tis year we increased the number of our stores from 10 to 15 and we plan to increase that further to between 30-40 stores over the next 5 years. To
INTERNATIONAL
Spartoo opens ten stores in ten months
French online clothing business Spartoo which sells internationally as well as in France has committed to a plan to open 50 stores in France by 2017. To date it has opened ten stores including the first which is located in its home town of Grenoble. “With the help of the Paris agency Te Intangibles, we have developed the concept of connected stores so that we can offer all items on the website as well as those in store, thanks to tablets and tactile screens, explained Spartoo CEO Boris Saragaglia. “It is not about the site and the store competing but creating synergy between the two.”
achieve this we required a logistics and warehousing partner who could meet our needs today and also meet our needs in the future. We were impressed by the set up at
Torque and the stable of brands that they have built up over the years. Despite Torque’s own growth they seem focused on making sure that their customers are giving the right level of care and attention and to build partnerships. As we revamp our IT systems to
enable a true omni-channel retail experience to our customers, having the right warehousing & logistical support is vital – in Torque we believe we have found that partner.” Stewart Firth, director, Torque, said: “We are excited to be partnering with
Ness and be a part of their growth plans. It is a great brand and we are looking forward to working together as the company grows.”
Boosting sales beyond Europe
International confidence is high among UK small online retailers (SORs) with 56 per cent aiming to increase international sales in both new and existing markets in 2016, according to Royal Mail’s annual tracker study into their ambitions. Australasia has seen the most
significant increase in interest with 23 per cent of SORs believing it holds the greatest opportunity, compared to just 5 per cent last year, with 20 per cent planning to target the region in 2016. Asia has also increased in importance; 26 per cent believe it holds significant sales opportunities, up from 12 per cent last year, whilst the USA is seen to present the greatest opportunity for UK SORs in the next five years by 30 per cent of SMEs interviewed. As an example, World of Books began
as a SOR of second-hand books and ow sells about 5 million books to customers
throughout the world every year. Stephen Boobyer MD, said: “We started back in 2008 as a small online book seller and have expanded rapidly to become one of the largest sellers of used books in the world. Now, 25 per cent of our books are sold to customers overseas and Royal Mail deliver for us to some 100 countries. Customer feedback counts for a lot when exporting as it effectively defines your brand in a country where customers may not have heard of you before. My advice to small businesses looking to export abroad is to find a delivery partner that is reliable and able to offer a broad range of delivery options. Tis has a very positive impact on feedback ratings and can lead to a rise in revenues.” UK SORs are targeting new markets
to capitalise on growing international demand for British products and services with 42 per cent citing this as the primary reason for their expansion plans.
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Direct Commerce |
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