HomeAcquisitionsLithuanian unicorn Vinted acquires Dutch startup United Wardrobe to make second-hand fashion...

Lithuanian unicorn Vinted acquires Dutch startup United Wardrobe to make second-hand fashion the first choice in Europe

Today Vinted, Europe’s largest online C2C marketplace dedicated to second-hand fashion, has announced the acquisition of United Wardrobe, the largest second-hand fashion platform in the Netherlands.

The transaction will enable the combined group to accelerate its rapid expansion to new markets and extend its international footprint. With a combined member base of 34 million buyers and sellers across 11 countries in Europe, Vinted and United Wardrobe share a vision to make second-hand fashion the first choice worldwide by encouraging the growth of responsible fashion and the circular economy.

From this week, the two platforms will gradually be integrated, and users of United Wardrobe will be invited to easily migrate their user accounts to Vinted, providing them access to a wider variety and range of second-hand fashion products than ever before. United Wardrobe members will join Vinted’s connected international platform, allowing them to easily transact across one combined marketplace spanning the Netherlands, France, Spain, Belgium, and Luxembourg. United Wardrobe members will also benefit from Vinted’s zero sellers’ fees, allowing them to list and sell items for free. Members of both platforms will enjoy access to a wider variety of items and a larger community of potential buyers, and benefit from integrated payment systems and a range of shipping options.

United Wardrobe’s CEO Sjuul Berden, COO Maud Behaghel and CTO Thijs Slijkhuis will take on leadership roles in the combined business and will help to drive and accelerate expansion into new markets. United Wardrobe will be integrated into the Vinted business and will continue to be based in Utrecht.

Thomas Plantenga, Vinted’s CEO, said: “We have known the United Wardrobe team for some time and have huge respect for their impressive growth trajectory, their passion and entrepreneurial spirit. We share the same ethos and mission: to make second-hand fashion the first choice worldwide. Together, Vinted and United Wardrobe can scale faster – doubling our rate of expansion to new markets – and deliver a truly unique product to our community of members across Europe. We’re confident that together, we can supercharge our growth journey and become a significant player in secondhand fashion worldwide. Our highly complementary footprints and cultural alignment provides the perfect platform for further expansion.”

Sjuul Berden, United Wardrobe’s CEO, said: “It’s always been our goal to connect our buyers and sellers on one central European marketplace. As of today, United Wardrobe users will be able to transact with the international community of Vinted, and share pre-loved fashion from Amsterdam to Paris, and from Madrid to Utrecht – all with no seller fees, secure payments and simple cross-border shipping. We’re in the midst of a global ecommerce boom and fashion resale is benefitting from that. Joining together with Vinted will enable us to make the most of this opportunity and, together, help accelerate the global movement towards a more sustainable fashion industry.”

Vinted completed a Series E funding round in November 2019, bringing its valuation to more than €1 billion. In the 17 months to that event, it recorded a fourfold growth rate. The company was founded in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2008 and operates across 12 markets globally: Spain, France, Luxembourg, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Lithuania, the UK, and the USA. Since increasing its activities in the Netherlands in 2019, Vinted now has over 1 million registered members in the country.

United Wardrobe, founded by 3 Dutch students from Wageningen University in 2014, has expanded from its base in the Netherlands to operate across Belgium, France and Germany. Its member base has grown rapidly to over 4 million registered users in 5 years.

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Charlotte Tucker
Charlotte Tucker
Charlotte is the previous Editor at EU-Startups.com. She spends her time scouting the next big story, managing our contributor team, and getting excited about social impact ventures. She has previously worked as a Communications Consultant for number of European Commission funded startup projects.
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