Manchester-based lifestyle and streetwear retailer The Couture Club has seen sales soar by 200% in the last five years.
Its year-on-year growth has seen the brand launch with Selfridges, along with various celebrities and sports stars seen wearing the brand such as FC Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal and Eduardo Camavinga, who plays for Real Madrid and France.
The fast-growing fashion brand has credited its partnership with software innovator Shipster for playing a key role in its transformative growth, after investing in technology to digitalise its warehouse management and shipping process in 2019.
Shipster, also headquartered in Manchester, is a custom shipping integration platform that connects online retailers, eCommerce warehouses, and distributors with over 100 leading couriers. By integrating with Descartes Peoplevox, an eCommerce warehouse management system (WMS), The Couture Club has been able to automate and streamline its ‘pick to ship’ process.
The company says that this has increased efficiency and productivity, accelerated order fulfillment and boosted customer satisfaction, increased profits, and enabled operational flexibility for growth.
Scott Shashua, managing director at Couture Club, said: “Shipster has transformed our company logistically, enabling us to do things we never thought would be possible. Our brand has been growing year on year internationally.
“I don’t think we could have been able to cope with the growth we have experienced without Shipster. The impact has been tremendous.”
The Couture Club was founded in 2015 by reality TV star Ross Worswick and entrepreneur Scott Shashua and now has a workforce of around 50 staff.
It started off using manual, paper-based logistics systems. But in 2019, as sales rocketed, it reached a tipping point.
Chris Warburton, warehouse manager for The Couture Club, said: “I jokingly refer to that time as ‘the dark days’ – where half your day would be picking and the other half would be creating and putting labels on for shipping. The pressure to fulfil orders was immense and relentless.
“As we got bigger and bigger, it was obvious things needed to change.”
With a growing international customer base, The Couture Club has used Shipster’s custom shipping rules capabilities to remain compliant with post-Brexit regulations.
Shipster’s flexible licensing model has allowed the company to scale its operations dynamically, adding or removing licenses and couriers depending on seasonal demand.
Tony Cheetham, founder and managing director at Shipster, added: “It has been fantastic to be part of The Couture Club’s success story. Retailers, especially in the fashion sector, need a solution that is efficient, cost-effective and gets products out of the warehouse to customers seamlessly.
“We have a fantastic track record of supporting fast-growing fashions brands and are proud to be part of the growth of such a vital and valuable sector of the UK economy.”