Online B2B retailer Whola has taken its mission to put the power back in the hands of Australian retailers one step further by forging a partnership with Australia Post’s transport and logistics company Startrack.
For Whola’s 130 member brands and almost 5000 retailers, this partnership provides an opportunity to optimise logistics, while ensuring they also see an increase in efficiency and profitability.
Whola founder and CEO Alice Fitch officially launched the company in 2020, although she had been working on the project for almost a year prior, after seeing a gap in the market for retailers to buy the best Australian wholesale clothing, accessories and beauty, all in one place.
Fitch tells SmartCompany she founded Whola to make life better for retailers.
“Whola began because years in the wholesale fashion world showed us it was broken,” she said.
The challenges include time away from the business for buyers, difficulty finding just the right styles and the stress of high pressure sales people.
“We wanted to put the power back into retailers’ hands — buying what they needed, when it suited,” Fitch said.
“We love the Australian fashion industry and want to support our incredible retailers and labels to thrive. We want a world where we’re free to express ourselves through unique styles and explore amazing retail experiences.”
Fitch confirmed that Whola’s community of mostly female-led fashion retailers will soon enjoy even greater control when buying what are recognised as some of Australia’s best fast-to-market labels in clothing and accessories.
“However, we are not only streamlining the process and getting product to market quicker, but with Whola covering all shipping costs, our retailers are in for another windfall as they stand to increase the margin on their stock by up to 10%.”
Fitch says the partnership with Startrack would be a first in Australian fashion, and a “key milestone” in Whola’s “mission to make life better for retailers”.
“Our model of harnessing the power of technology while remaining true to good, old-school service is already delivering speed and efficiency to fashion retailers and their brands,” she added.
The Whola and Startrack partnership is expected to be finalised this week.
