Queen Of Shops set to help curated marketplace breathe life back into UK High Streets
On a mission to breathe life back into UK High Streets post-pandemic, online marketplace Ankorstore has announced a brand partnership with retail expert and broadcaster Mary Portas as it continues to link retailers and brands.
The big-name partnership aims to amplify the marketplace’s mission to be an advocate for both independent retailers and brands across Britain, by rewilding the way retailers do business and swinging the balance in favour of independents, to truly champion the community-led retail scene.
“As a European curated marketplace for independent retailers and brands, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with British retail expert Mary Portas,” said Jina Kwon, deputy general manager at Ankorstore UK. “As a brand advocate, Mary embodies Ankorstore’s own values and beliefs, supporting and giving a voice to independent businesses throughout her career.
“At Ankorstore, our mission is to level the playing field for small and independent retailers who are the backbone of the UK economy, especially after the hardships of Brexit and Covid, to ensure a more evenly balanced retail ecosystem. We are excited to have Mary on board as we work to rewild retail, expanding our platform and giving our growing community the tools they need to thrive.”
Known as the Queen Of Shops, Mary was recently announced as the co-chair of the Better Business Act (BBA) campaign, which called on the UK government to amend the law on how companies are run to better reflect their social and environmental responsibilities.
She said: “I’ve always championed independent retail as the key to thriving local High Streets and our communities. I believe it’s such an exciting time for independent brands and retailers and I’m thrilled to partner with Ankorstore, a brand that genuinely shares my vision and ambition for this sector.”
With an unrivalled background and knowledge of the retail space, Mary is set to complement Ankorstore’s decades of retail and e-commerce expertise among its founding team of retail and technology experts.
Mary will collaborate with Ankorstore on a range of campaignable moments to pioneer the evolution of independent retail and support in leading the charge for real change in the industry. Independent small greetings and gift chain Lark is among those set to be involved, with owners Priya and Dominic Aurora-Crowe working with the collaboration across their 10 stores in London.
The collaboration will take a close look into the current state of the British independent retail scene, via reports and trend forecasting. Mary will also participate in an exclusive roundtable event for retailers and the media, and host an engaging content series with the aim of informing and inspiring budding new entrepreneurs.
Founded in 2019 by four French e-commerce entrepreneurs, Ankorstore marks its first anniversary in the UK this summer, and now has offices in Paris, London, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin and Stockholm and more than 600 employees.
Since its launch, the company has seen amassed over 200,000 retailers and 15,000 brands in the European region by arming businesses with the tools and technology needed to thrive, and it has evolved from a B2B online marketplace to a thriving ecosystem that empowers brands and retailers to grow freely, embrace creativity and stay competitive.
Reaching Unicorn status in January this year with a valuation of £1.48billion (€1.75bn), the partnership supports Ankorstore’s continued mission to champion real change for new and established independents, and enable them to compete with bigger players on a global stage.
Ankorstore recently unveiled its rebrand alongside its vision to Rewild Retail by harnessing the power of technology to return independent shops to the heart of local communities. The launch of this activity coincided with Ankorstore sponsoring a category in the Gift Awards as well as the lunchroom and opening night party at PG Live.
Top: Queen Of Shops Mary Portas champions independent retailers
