Start-up Ankorstore chooses Lille to continue its European expansion

Founded in 2019 by Pierre-Louis Lacoste, Nicolas d’Audiffret, Nicolas Cohen and Mathieu Alengrin, from Etsy, A Little Market and Vestiaire Collective respectively, Ankorstore is expanding in France and Europe. From fund-raising to new store openings, the company’s success is linked to its highly topical mission: to preserve small town-centre shops in the face of the giants of mass retailing and e-commerce.

Their value proposition: connecting quality brands with independent retailers through an offer tailored to their logistical and financial constraints.

Retailers (concept stores, interior design shops, delicatessens, etc.) can choose products from a catalogue of 10,000 brands. This makes sourcing easier and saves considerable time. Purchasing conditions are also very favourable, with the possibility of paying up to 60 days in advance, a minimum purchase of just €100 and free postage on orders of €300 or more. This flexibility allows retailers to manage their stocks more precisely, buying as and when they need to and when market opportunities arise.

Brands, meanwhile, can find distribution networks more easily and sell their products throughout the European Union, without paying delivery charges.

In 2021, the Paris-based start-up has raised no less than €109 million in 6 months to support its development. With more than 10,000 brands listed and 100,000 independent retailers, Ankorstore is present in 23 countries and also has offices in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Düsseldorf and Stockholm.

To support its European activities, Ankorstore has decided to open a multilingual support services centre to manage logistics, customer administrative support and customer service. And when it came down to it, with cities such as Reims and Rouen in the running, Lille was finally chosen as the location!

In June 2021, the Hello Lille teams were asked to highlight the city’s assets. For a platform like Ankorstore, there are many:

• The presence of several dynamic business districts dedicated to digital technology
• A pool of multilingual talent
• An agile and flexible real estate offering
• Quick and easy set-up
• Financial support from the region.

Ankorstore will initially be operating out of a flex office while its teams prepare to move to the Euratechnologies campus. This is a logical choice, as it will enable the start-up to be at the heart of an ecosystem dedicated to innovation and digital technology.

To obtain the necessary information and facilitate the recruitment process, Ankorstore was able to call on the support of Hello Lille, public employment bodies such as Proch’Emploi and Pôle Emploi, and private-sector organisations such as Cooptalis.

The Lille service centre will eventually employ more than 250 people. Ranked among the top 50 start-ups to apply to in 2022 by élinoï, Ankorstore is looking for multilingual profiles with a minimum command of English and a second language (German, Dutch, Swedish or Spanish). It is above all the personal skills and motivation of candidates that will tip the balance in recruitment. So if you’d like to join a young, dynamic and European professional environment, don’t hesitate to apply!