Shop Direct this week said it was to change its name to The Very Group – as it looks to use awareness of its flagship Very.co.uk brand to attract new data, technology and fulfilment staff.
The retail group said the name change would support its aim to hire new staff for hundreds of data and technology jobs and at its new East Midlands fulfilment centre over the next two years. The Liverpool-based retailer also has a tech hub in London.
“Rebranding Shop Direct to The Very Group will be a clear marker of the next chapter in our development. The new name will bring us in line with Very in its 10th year and step change our ability to attract the world’s best talent,” said Henry Birch, group chief executive of Shop Direct.
“The new identity will also help to foster an even closer emotional connection between our people and our customers, which is vital as we continue to improve our proposition and deliver the best possible shopping experience.”
Very was launched in July 2009 as a pureplay digital retailer and today it’s a £1.4bn brand with 2.82m active customers and 1m website visits a day. Its mobile-first strategy has been particularly effective in helping propel that growth. In its 2017/18 financial year, group sales rose by 1.5% to £1.96bn, of which £1.4bn came from Very sales, themselves up by 9.9%. A quarter of those sales came via the retailer’s smartphone apps alone following app sales growth of 35.9% compared to the previous year. Overall, 74% of Shop Direct’s online sales were completed on mobile during the year.
The new corporate identify will be unveiled later this year, and will cover the VeryExclusive and Littlewoods brands as well as Very. Very is a Top50 retailer in IRUK Top500 research, while Littlewoods is Top100.
Image: Screenshot of Very.co.uk website
