ESW reports “stellar growth” on the back of direct-to-consumer boom

Global direct-to-consumer e-commerce solution provider ESW has reported that revenues will reach 1.5 billion US dollars in 2021, and will support continued growth with the appointment of Noelle Burke as chief people officer and plans to recruit a further 500 more staff within the next three years.

The Dublin-based cross-border e-commerce facilitator is predicting that its revenue will hit 5 billion US dollars within three to five years on the back of a boom in direct-to-consumer (DTC) e-commerce.

This year ESW has added more than 20 new global brand partners, including Gucci, Kering, Ebel, Olivia Burton, The Irish Store, Rossignol, Abercrombie and Fitch and J.Crew.

To build upon the momentum gained in 2021, scalability will be supported by continuing investment in sustainability, research and development, data analytics and technology development, explained ESW. The e-commerce solutions company will add 500 new roles within the next three years and expand its office presence in the UK, France, Germany, Singapore, Italy, and New York.

Growth it notes will be driven by “strong momentum organically” in growing markets as well as planned bolt-on acquisitions, as “the world continues to make a strong and sustained structural shift to e-commerce”.

Tommy Kelly, chief executive at ESW, said in a statement: “I could not be more proud of our team at ESW in the last few years and indeed throughout Covid. We have successfully recruited and onboarded over 200 additional roles with most of our colleagues having moved to remote working.

“Following another year of strong growth we expect to achieve sales of close to 1.5 billion US dollars in 2021, a circa 20-fold increase over the past five years.”

ESW to add 500 new roles within the next three years to support growth

ESW added that it will be putting specialist focus on solutions that address specific needs in the apparel and accessories, beauty and cosmetics and luxury categories. In addition, the product portfolio has been diversified to meet a wider range of market requirements, and now includes ‘Fluency Express’, a fast and light integration with essential international e-commerce features, and ‘Fluency Enterprise’ to help large brands achieve deep localisation and execute on their global strategy.

Other products include ‘Symphony,’ a complete enterprise DTC solution from the design and build of brands’ online store to the day-to-day management of the trading environment and ‘Velocity’ which delivers country-by-country shopper experience and performance marketing services to maximise the DTC opportunity.

Noelle Burke named chief people officer at ESW

To support this expanded portfolio and strong growth in both the UK and France, ESW has announced a raft of new senior appointments. Noelle Burke has been named chief people officer and brings more than 20 years of senior management roles for multinational corporations, including Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, and RSA.

Natashia Redfern, who comes from a strong logistics e-commerce background, has been appointed director of sales UK, while in France, ESW has named Thomas Rouland and Jerome Duclos as sales directors.

Kelly added: “Our solutions have enabled many of the world’s leading brands and retailers to accelerate growth and to meet consumer demand despite lockdowns and restrictions. That resilience, together with the speed and agility with which we can provide growth-seeking brands with a global online market presence has driven a step-change in our growth projections.

“Those projections are ambitious but achievable. In delivering that growth we are collaborating extensively with our brand partners to ensure we grow in an environmentally sustainable manner.”

Headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, ESW also has offices in the UK, Paris, Milan, the US, Hong Kong and Singapore and currently employs over 600 staff. It is a joint venture between La Poste Group and Swiss Post, which acquired full ownership in March 2021.