Vente-Privee is Pure Player of the Year

The World Retail Awards were handed out for the eight time and again Vente-Privee got rewarded with the title of Pure Player of the Year. It’s the second time the French shopping community wins this international award. H&M became the International Retailer of the Year, while John Lewis was the Omnichannel Retailer of the Year.

The World Retail Awards are being organized by World Retail Congress and recognizes companies that engage in online activities worldwide, and represent innovation, diversity and growth, with a focus on the customer. The jury wanted to reward companies who have a long-term focus on developments and have made great innovations during the last year.

Vente-privee stepping into new markets
Vente-privee.com (which is now called Veepee) has expanded in 2014 by acquiring Théâtre de la Michodière in Paris, as part of a plan to fill empty seats by selling tickets at discounted prices. It also set steps into new markets like wine, gastronomy and tourism. “Today we start a new phase in the history of ecommerce, where the ‘e’ disappears and makes way for offline business. Physical stores and online stores are in competition, the digital revolution has changed consumer behavior and the future is pointed towards sales: click-ON-mortar”, says Jacques-Antoine Granjon, founder of Vente-Privee.com. “The customer is king. He can shop, compare prices and make himself heard via social media. He can do whatever he wants. Retailers should adapt to this highly developed customer profile.”

Other awards handed out on 30 September in Paris were the Omnichannel Retailer of the Year, which was won by John Lewis. About this company, the jury said: “In the merging of their channels even further, a vital cultural change this year has been the targeting of shop branch managers on online catchment sales, and partners on the shop floor are targeted on the number of in-store assisted online purchases their department makes.”

H&M got rewarded a prize for International Retailer of the Year. “With a truly global concept, our judges chose this year’s winner for its wide-ranging growth strategies. H&M has not only opened strongly in a huge number of markets but is one of the few to open in both the southern and northern hemispheres”, the jury said.