Jul 4, 2019
Very.co.uk celebrates 10th anniversary
Jul 4, 2019
Hugo Boss t-shirts, hair straighteners and Ugg boots have been amongst the top selling items which have helped Very.co.uk become a £1 billion brand, Shop Direct has announced as it celebrates the multi-category retailer’s 10th anniversary.
Very launched with a website and catalogue in 2009 with the help of brand ambassadors Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby and a mission to capture the two thirds of UK households which had internet access.
Ten years later, the brand has phased out its catalogue to become 100% digital, and receives over 1 million website visits every day. In its most recent annual results, ended 30 June 2018, Very’s revenue jumped 10% and reached £1.4 billion.
“Very’s growth since its launch in 2009 has been nothing short of outstanding,” said Henry Birch, group CEO at Shop Direct.
The fashion category has played a vital role in Very’s success, with Ugg boots, Converse trainers and V by Very leggings amongst the most best selling fashion items. The retailer’s V by Very brand, launched in 2016, now accounts for more than a third of Very’s total fashion sales. And sportswear sales have doubled in the last four years, Shop Direct revealed on Thursday.
Very.co.uk was also one of the first retailers to adopt a ‘mobile-first’ approach, which led to three quarters of its total online sales being secured via mobile devices in 2018. In 2016 it launched the Very Assistant chatbot and artificial intelligence was added in 2018.
“Our hugely committed colleagues have focused on mobile development, great brands and our customers. This has helped Very become a £1bn-plus revenue brand and one of the biggest online-only retailers in the UK,” Henry Birch explained.
The Very brand has become so important for Shop Direct that the group is set to rebrand to The Very Group later this year. It also owns Littlewoods.com and LittlewoodsIreland.ie.
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