HomeFundingLondon-based Smithfield Case raises £650K to tailor online shopping for men

London-based Smithfield Case raises £650K to tailor online shopping for men

During my visit to Barcelona in the summer of 2011, I had the chance to talk to Alex Valls and Jose Ojeda who told me about their plans to launch a new personalised clothing service for men. I was fascinated by the idea and their passion for this topic, although they didn’t provide me with to much info, since the company was in stealth mode. Soon afterwards, Alex and Jose moved to London and launched Smithfield Case in February 2012 (Update – February 2023: The startup seems to be no longer in business under this website and we therefore deactivated the link).

Today, Smithfield Case, announces the close of a £650K seed investment from Edipresse, a publicly traded media company, and the founders of Privalia, one of the leading global private sales clubs.

Smithfield Case was founded on the basis that men shop differently than women, and that no European retailers or e-commerce players were really addressing the hassle normally associated with shopping or providing better fit, which are the key considerations for men when buying clothes. The London-based startup aims to conquer the under-served market of men, who are looking to reduce the time requirements, hassle and issues with fit associated with shopping in stores and online.

Smithfield Case developed its convenient and personalised online service to provide an entirely new concept to the UK. Customers create an online profile that includes style and brand preferences, sizes, etc. Once they place an order, a personal stylist develops a set of looks and sizes, which are delivered in a case. Customers try the clothes from the convenience of their homes, keep and pay for what they want; the rest is collected at a pre-arranged time, all for free and without having to commit to a subscription fee.

The recent closing of their seed financing round has allowed the business to hire key fashion and technical team members, including a Senior Menswear Buyer, who joins from ‘Harrods’, and a Lead Developer, joining from ‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’. The funds will also be channeled into further marketing and customer acquisition activities to bolster current growth.

Check out the following video to learn how Smithfield Case works:

By the way: If you’re a corporate or investor looking for exciting startups in a specific market for a potential investment or acquisition, check out our Startup Sourcing Service!

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Thomas Ohr
Thomas Ohr
Thomas Ohr is the "Editor in Chief" of EU-Startups.com and started the blog in October 2010. He is excited about Europe's future, passionate about new business ideas and lives in Barcelona (Spain).
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