He’s best known for being the co-founder of my-wardrobe and Chairman at Amara, but Andrew Curran has been quietly working on another online business venture.
- Amara sales up 143% to £1.13m
- Plans to take brand portfolio to 150
- New business Lovehats.com launched last week
- Lovehats.com “international from the outset”
We know from a survey conducted last year that Andrew Curran is a firm favourite you enjoy reading about – beaten only to the top spot by Charles Tyrwhitt founder Nick Wheeler – so we’re certain there will be plenty of interest in his most recent endeavour.
Andrew’s creating a go to online millinery store with Lovehats.com which launched just last week. More on that later, but first let’s look at Amara, the luxury online home accessories retailer where he is Chairman.
When Andrew last spoke to Directors Of .COM in October he told us he “only thinks in terms of triple digit growth.” He certainly walks the walk. Amara finished up 2011 with sales of £1.13m, up from less than £500k sales in 2010 – a 143% increase.
His magic touch is helping to put the online retailer in good stead for the future. Amara is about to raise over £1m investment from a series of high-net-worth individuals.
Plans are under way for the company to launch its own range of bedding to complement its brand portfolio which it hopes to grow to 150.
Andrew’s new business, Lovehats.com, is equally as exciting. The venture, which has been six months in the making, came about following a chat with a milliner which lead the former my-wardrobe boss to consider the online retail possibilities for occasion headwear.
Lovehats.com has been six months in the making
After researching the market, Andrew realised the potential. Little competition, a desire by hat makers to retail online, and most importantly good margins.
Lovehats.com stocks brands such as Philip Treacy London, J Smith Esquire and Celine Robert. It allows users to try on hats by uploading a photo and has editorial content in its Headlines section.
I asked Andrew if he had considered a marketplace model but this is ruled out. “We want to be consistent with our photography as well as the fulfilment and customer service” he tells us. Brands on the website all engage on an SOR (sale-or-return) basis, making the business model an even more attractive one.
Andrew sees this business as a logistics company, an international one at that. “We’ve launched with seven languages and the website is multi-currency. It was important to do this from the outset” he says. You can tell he’s done this before.
2012 is getting off to more than a good start for Andrew Curran.
