LONDON, UK: Unbound Group plc confirmed the initial launch of its curated multi-brand platform, as scheduled, which offers a range of partner brands for its core 55+ customer demographic. The further Autumn Winter launch of the platform is on track to be completed in September.

Alongside its core Hotter brand, the Group is initially launching with the first 7 chosen partner brands, primarily focused on complementary specialist footwear categories.

From today through to October, the Group will continue to phase the onboarding of additional partner brands which will broaden the offering further across apparel and other specialist footwear categories, as announced on 30 June 2022.

All partner brand relationships are designed to be capital light, operating a drop ship model with a fixed percentage commission payable on every sale.

Utilising insight driven from its loyal and growing customer base, the Group intends to expand into other relevant growth areas, including wellness, in Q4 2022 and will establish its own Unbound apparel range in Q2 2023.

The Group will also continue to explore additional partner brand opportunities in the coming months with several further partnerships at an advanced stage. Each potential partner brand is subject to a careful selection process using data-driven insights based on four key criteria: relevancy, desirability, specialism and sustainability. Central to this process is the Group’s continued desire to meet its customer needs.

The Group also continues to invest in the development of the functionality and technology of its Mirakl-integrated site; focusing on enabling the Group to partner seamlessly with its selected partner brands, efficiently scale product offering and support a frictionless customer experience.

Once a brand joins the platform, it will have direct access to the Group’s growing 4.6m customer database and the benefits of the Group’s investment to date in technology and marketing campaigns.

Ian Watson, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “We are on track to deliver a successful launch of the Unbound platform and I am delighted to be taking the first step towards the Autumn Winter launch in early September in partnership with 14 carefully selected brands.

We continue to use our data driven customer insight in conjunction with our technology and broader expertise to enhance our platform, strengthen our offering and optimise the user experience, which is expected to drive further customer engagement and loyalty in the medium term.

I am pleased with our progress to date. Alongside the continued momentum and brand strength of Hotter, we have seen strong uptake from a selection of leading partner brands, each of which offers something unique and additive to our loyal customers but are united under the Unbound Group umbrella.

I am confident that each brand recognises the potential value our platform can bring to them, in turn encouraging future brands to join us on our curated, scalable platform.

Today’s launch is just the start. We look forward to seeing the continuing progress of the platform and the true potential of the full Unbound Group offer becoming apparent in the coming months as we pursue our growth plans.”