Venture firms Advent and Balderton Capital have ploughed £8.5m into online retailer Worldstores.

The funds will allow Worldstores, which operates in the home and garden sector, to expand into new categories and improve its delivery service.

Worldstores, founded by entrepreneurs Joe Murray and Richard Tucker, operates 77 specialist websites including BedroomWorld.co.uk, GardenFurnitureWorld.co.uk and ShedsWorld.co.uk.

Advent general partner Mike Chalfen and Balderton Capital general partner Mark Evans have joined the board of the online retailer.

Chalfen said: “WorldStores is a great fit for our growth investment strategy and one of our focus areas - ecommerce.  The business is proven, distinctive, and growing fast.”

Worldstores co-chief executive Joe Murray said: “This investment allows us to realise our goal of developing WorldStores into a very substantial and profitable business. With the backing of Advent and Balderton, we are perfectly positioned to achieve our ambition to be the leading online brand for home and garden products.”