Connecting authentic brands and independent retailers
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 openings, the company’s success is linked to its highly topical mission: the preservation of small city-center shops in the face of the giants of mass retail and online commerce.
Their value proposition: connecting quality brands with independent retailers through an offer adapted to their logistical and financial constraints.
Retailers (concept stores, decoration boutiques, delicatessens, etc.) can choose products from a catalog of 10,000 brands. This facilitates sourcing and saves considerable time. Purchasing conditions are also very favorable, with payment terms of up to 60 days, a minimum purchase of just 100 euros and free shipping on orders of 300 euros or more. This flexibility enables retailers to manage their inventories more precisely, buying as and when their needs and market opportunities dictate.
Brands, meanwhile, can find distribution networks more easily and sell their products throughout the European Union, without paying shipping costs.
In 2021, the Paris-based start-up has raised no less than 109 million euros in 6 months to support its development. With over 10,000 listed brands 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 center to manage logistics, customer administrative support and customer service. And in the balance with cities such as Reims and Rouen, Lille was finally chosen as the location!
In Lille, nearly 250 jobs at stake!
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 multilingual talent pool
- An agile and flexible real estate offer
- Quick and easy set-up
- Financial support from the region.
Ankorstore will initially operate as a flex office, while its teams prepare for their move to the Euratechnologies campus. This is a logical choice, as it puts the start-up 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 players such as Proch’Emploi and Pôle Emploi, and private players such as Cooptalis.
Eventually, more than 250 people will be working in the Lille service center. Ranked in élinoï’s top 50 start-ups to apply to in 2022, Ankorstore is looking for multilingual profiles with a minimum command of English and a second language (German, Dutch, Swedish or Spanish). Above all, it’s the candidates’ interpersonal skills and motivation 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!