B2B platform connects small producers with local retailers
A BUSINESS to business online wholesale brand has been looking to shake things up in the Scottish retail sector.
Ankorstore, the brainchild of four tech-minded entrepreneurs, operates across Europe and the UK, connecting retailers with small independent producers.
The concept is straightforward. Ankorstore’s site services over 140,000 retailers, offering access to 10,000 brands based in the UK and abroad.
Ankorstore’s catalogue covers a broad range of categories and includes a dedicated grocery section.
Jina Kwon, UK country manager for Ankorstore, reckons the service represents a good deal for retailers and suppliers alike.
“We have a very low minimum order of £100 per brand. It allows retailers to be a little bit more experimental with the types of brands they are willing to bring in. We also offer financing and provide free shipping on both the brand and the retailer side.
“Really, what we want to do is increase the exposure of brands to different markets that they may or may not already be in, and increase the number of sales that they’re getting,” she said.
For retailers looking to bolster their local produce offer, Kwon said Ankorstore stocks in excess of 60 Scottish brands and is on the hunt for more.
Those stores looking to offer something a bit different are also catered to, as Kwon explained.
“We have a curation of brands that are local, but also not local. So if you’re looking to source Italian olive oils or Spanish olives – and we have several examples of Scottish retailers who do this – it just gives something a little bit special to a local retailer,” she said.
