Posts by Jasmijn

Dutch fashion platform Otrium made considerable losses in the past year. The company is 50 million euros in the red. The year before, losses were at 8.4 million euros. This is mostly due to bonuses as well as further company expansion.

Apotekamo, the online pharmacy from Sweden, has raised 2.5 million euros in funding. The company will use the money for geographical expansion, marketing activities and the platform's logistics solution. The startup wants to become the leading pharmacy in Southeast Europe.

Benelux’s leading marketplace Bol.com now has 50.000 partner sellers. The past three years the number of merchants almost doubled. Partners are responsible for 60 percent of the platform’s revenue in the first quarter of 2022. The growth in sellers is slowing down after the pandemic, though.

Fashion platforms Asos and Boohoo are being investigated by the British Competition and Markets authority regarding greenwashing. Their claims about sustainability may be misleading the public. The CMA says it ‘won’t hesitate to take legal action’.

Just months after expanding to Germany and Ireland, Canadian ecommerce investor Clearco is cutting 25 percent of its staff. This comes down to 125 employees. The company points to ‘the current macroeconomic environment’.

The French Beaumanoir Group wants to acquire fashion retailer Sarenza. The online shop is now in the hands of Monoprix. According to the Beaumanoir Group, Sarenza will strengthen their ecommerce activities.

Chinese fashion retailer Shein is looking to expand in Europe. At the same time, the company’s value has fallen around 30 percent. Shein has been under scrutiny about its labor conditions and environmental impact.

Shopify is laying off 10 percent of its staff. This comes down to a thousand employees. According to the company, it is due to a decline in customer demand after peak growth during the pandemic.

Secondhand fashion marketplace Vinted wants to acquire competitor Rebelle. The company offered 30,2 million euros for the acquisition. The deal received a positive response from commission members and shareholders of Rebelle.

OsCommerce, on of the first ecommerce software tools, launched a new version. The v4-version remains free and open source, but introduces design templates, multiple sales channels and updated security. “We want to revive the once great ecommerce platform,” managing director Vadym Gurevych says.

Ecommerce software Shopify and online video streaming platform YouTube are launching YouTube Shopping. The feature offers multiple options for live shopping, where users can purchase products directly on YouTube’s website.

Fashion ecommerce giants Zalando, About You and Yoox Net-a-Porter are launching a sustainability platform for brand partners. The platform will offer a learning programme and engagement between brands and sustainability experts.

Czech fashion search engine Glami is acquiring Stileo, a fashion ecommerce platform operating in Italy. According to the companies, they generate over 500k monthly orders to partnered shops. Together, the platforms aim to grow to 1 million orders a month.

Spanish software startup Stockagile has raised 2.5 million euros in seed capital. With the funds, the company wants to further develop its omnichannel management software and marketing strategy. The company aims to be a ‘leader in omnichannel sales management in the retail sector’.

Payment service Klarna has closed 800 million dollars in funding. During the investment round, the company’s valuation dropped even lower with 85 percent. CEO Sebastian Siemiatowski berates ‘the steepest drop in global stock markets in over fifty years’.