Balderton Capital, the private equity investor whose list of past and present investments reads like a Who's Who of UK ecommerce firms, has brought in new talent as it seeks to focus more heavily on early stage start-ups.
The investment firm has appointed blinkx founder Suranga Chandratillake as its newest general partner. His appointment comes amid talk that co-founding partner Barry Maloney plans to step down.
It also drafted in Wellington Partners' Daniel Waterhouse in October. Waterhouse spent five years at the firm, often providing the first institutional money in a number of fast-growing companies including Hailo, YPlan, SumAll, EyeEm and Qype, later sold to Yelp.
Techcrunch reckons that the management makeover is part of a refocus of Balderton's investments even more heavily on Series A funding rounds.
The slight shift in strategy can only mean that Balderton, whose UK investments have included Asos, The Hut and Worldstores, is sharpening its claws amid increasing interest in tech, internet and ecommerce start-ups from a wider range and larger firms.
Balderton and a handful of other tech investors had a lot of room to maneuver in the early years of the last decade when it broke away from US venture capital firm Benchmark Capital.
The only way to go it seems is down into the underground - seek out the new talent and, as Balderton said in a press release this week, 'identify and back the next generation of entrepreneurs'.
With one a former entrepreneur himself and the other a proven identifier of successful firms, Balderton clearly hopes Chandratillake and Waterhouse will be able to help it do just that.
For more on The Hut, see our Online Retail Stars of 2013 Report: The Hut.
Showing posts with label multichannel retailing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label multichannel retailing. Show all posts
Thursday, 23 January 2014
Monday, 20 January 2014
Ikea UK Says Online Sales Soar 60% Over Chrisr
Ikea said internet sales at its UK business jumped 60 per cent over Christmas as it invested in its multichannel offer.
The Swedish furniture retailer said that helped like-for-like sales in the period increase 12 per cent as customers sought to spruce up their houses and, in particular, living rooms, children's furniture and bathrooms.
Ikea's UK and Ireland country manager Gillian Drakeford said the sales rise followed a 9 per cent increase in sales over the Autumn period. She said the online growth was 'exceptionally strong' over Christmas.
'Ongoing investment across [our] online and in-store shopping experience also helped to boost sales as shoppers seek more convenience,' the company said.
It said the post-Christmas sale led to a spike in visitors, 11 per cent more than the same week a year earlier.
Ikea is benefiting as shoppers begin to redecorate their houses as they prepares to sell their homes as the UK housing market shows early signs of recovery.
The Swedish furniture retailer said that helped like-for-like sales in the period increase 12 per cent as customers sought to spruce up their houses and, in particular, living rooms, children's furniture and bathrooms.
Ikea's UK and Ireland country manager Gillian Drakeford said the sales rise followed a 9 per cent increase in sales over the Autumn period. She said the online growth was 'exceptionally strong' over Christmas.
'Ongoing investment across [our] online and in-store shopping experience also helped to boost sales as shoppers seek more convenience,' the company said.
It said the post-Christmas sale led to a spike in visitors, 11 per cent more than the same week a year earlier.
Ikea is benefiting as shoppers begin to redecorate their houses as they prepares to sell their homes as the UK housing market shows early signs of recovery.
Crew Clothing Says Click and Collect 'Instant Hit'
Casual fashion chain Crew Clothing says its click and collect offer, introduced last year, helped grow sales from busy customers who have less time for shopping.
The chain said the new delivery option helped increase sales by 20 per cent in the 10 weeks to January 5, compared to the same period last year, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Finance director Justin Hampshire said: 'We have invested significantly in our multichannel offering. [Click and collect] was an instant hit. Our customers are busy people. With click and collect they can come in, perhaps try on their purchases, and they're out.'
Crew began as a catalogue retailer but now has 78 shops. Sales at the chain, which is owned by founder Alistair Parker-Swift, a professional skier and windsurfer, and private equity firm Isis, are expected to hit £52 million this year.
Hampshire said a 20 per cent off sale at the beginning of December helped increase sales but insisted that Crew 'didn't have to mark down to levels that would really hurt margins.'
The chain said the new delivery option helped increase sales by 20 per cent in the 10 weeks to January 5, compared to the same period last year, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Finance director Justin Hampshire said: 'We have invested significantly in our multichannel offering. [Click and collect] was an instant hit. Our customers are busy people. With click and collect they can come in, perhaps try on their purchases, and they're out.'
Crew began as a catalogue retailer but now has 78 shops. Sales at the chain, which is owned by founder Alistair Parker-Swift, a professional skier and windsurfer, and private equity firm Isis, are expected to hit £52 million this year.
Hampshire said a 20 per cent off sale at the beginning of December helped increase sales but insisted that Crew 'didn't have to mark down to levels that would really hurt margins.'
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