In a time of mixed fortunes for fashion retail, luxury player and The Infor Best Fashion Retailer winner Matchesfashion.com stood out with its brand mix, international reach and tech-savvy appeal.

Fashion is facing tough times, so the judges were delighted with the high standard of diverse entries in this competitive category. But when it came to meeting the criteria, one retailer stood out.

“Matchesfashion.com has had an amazing year,” said one judge, who admitted she found the retailer and its offer “addictive”. “It has everything – the variety, the stylist tool, the content.”

Established player 

The luxury retailer, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017, now offers more than 400 established and new designers and delivers to more than 190 countries. 

It also operates a 24-hour fashion concierge tool, London stores and private shopping appointments and events at its luxury London townhouse.

In 2016 it launched the Matchesfashion.com app, which within a year was generating a substantial proportion of revenue.

It also offers Daily Style – shoppable content driven by an artificial intelligence platform – and ‘buy now, wear now’ 90-minute delivery in London.

Global reach

It has international scale, too, and 2017 brought the launch of fully optimised French and Korean language websites. Non-UK sales now account for 80% of total online revenue. 

Anticipating further global expansion, the retailer is investing in distribution, including a new site next to Heathrow that will increase capacity to 4 million shipments a year by 2020, while maintaining the high standards it is known for through its iconic packaging.

“Matchesfashion.com has had an amazing year. It has everything – the variety, the stylist tool, the content”

Judge

The judges were impressed by a 61% increase in revenue in the most recently disclosed year and EBITDA of £19m. “That is a powerful performance,” remarked one. Another said: “Profits speak volumes.”

Noting the sale of a majority stake to Apax last September, the judges said Matchesfashion has created a great internal culture and praised its vision and young, tech-savvy team. 

It also impressed with its deep customer understanding and excellent standard of service. 

The judges were confident that Matchesfashion could achieve its ambition to be the number-one global luxury shopping platform. “I would back it against its rivals,” said one judge, while another remarked: “It is the one to watch for the future.”

Infor 

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Infor Retail is changing the way people work and think about work by crafting a new generation of enterprise-level user experiences that disrupt preconceived notions of retail software.

Our passionate team of developers, designers, scientists and visionaries are reimagining the retail experience across every channel – through beautiful design, engaging experiences, the unprecedented power of science, smart data and predictive analytics.

This is retail the way it should be. Infor.com/retail

For a list of all the award winners in full, click here.