Online retail giant Very is celebrating a decade of existence, with its most recent annual results showing its revenue at £1.4bn, and 2.8m active customers.
The firm was launched by Merseyside-based Shop Direct back on July 5, 2009 after spotting a gap in the market for a multi-category retailer appealing to the internet generation.
Fast forward to July 2019, and Very is now 100% digital, receives over 1m website visits a day, with 1,800 brands available to customers.
The firm says tablets, hair straighteners and UGG boots are among the top selling items over the past decade, and that fashion has also played a "vital" role.
Henry Birch, group CEO at Speke-based Shop Direct, said: “Very’s growth since its launch in 2009 has been nothing short of outstanding. Our hugely committed colleagues have focused on mobile development, great brands and our customers. This has helped Very become a £1bn-plus revenue brand and one of the biggest online-only retailers in the Ƶ.
“But the story for is only just beginning. By listening to what our customers want, offering them outstanding service and ways to pay, and investing in our technology and systems to stay ahead of trends, we believe we’ll take Very to the next level.”
According to Very, it found a gap in the market back in 2009, noting that two thirds of Ƶ households had internet access and online transactions accounted for 7% of total retail sales.
It soon launched with a distinctive pink marque, brand ambassadors Fearne Cotton and Holly Willoughby, and a new website and catalogue.
The best sellers
Fashion is crucial to Very, which sells more than 500 fashion brands and launched own brand V by Very in 2016, which accounts for more than a third of total fashion sales today.
Among the top selling fashion items of the last decade are UGG boots, Converse trainers and V by Very leggings, while sportswear sales have doubled in the last four years.
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The firm's electrical division has doubled the number of brands available since 2009, with top selling products including Apple’s iPad Mini and the Nintendo Switch console. The last four years have also seen toy sales double, thanks to a mix of long term favourites like Lego and new brands such as L.O.L! Surprise.
Bedroom furniture and towels have been top items in the home division, which has seen over a million individual Silentnight products sold to date.
Holly Willoughby, Fearne Cotton and Michelle Keegan
Very says brand ambassadors and celebrity collaborations have played a big part in its success.
TV presenters Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton were the first ambassadors in 2009, followed by singer and TV presenter Rochelle Humes in 2014 and actress Michelle Keegan in September 2018.
Celebrity collaborations over the last 10 years include presenter and activist Jameela Jamil, singer Kimberley Walsh and, most recently, model and TV personality Kate Wright, who collaborated with Very on a summer fashion edit in June 2019.
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Very says its early adoption of a ‘mobile-first’ approach, meaning development focused on the mobile platform above others, led to three quarters of its total online sales being secured via mobile devices in 2018.
The brand launched its first app in 2015 and reached 1m app downloads in 2017.
