Linnworks announces majority investment from Marlin Equity Partners
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Investment to accelerate Linnworks growth and solidify its leading market position among middle market and enterprise brands.
Linnworks, a leading commerce automation platform, today announced that Marlin Equity Partners (Marlin), a global investment firm with over $7.6 billion in capital under management, has made a majority growth investment in Linnworks. The investment is set to scale Linnworks’ product capabilities and accelerate the company’s global expansion. Linnworks CEO, Callum Campbell, will continue to lead the company’s day-to-day operations.
Founded in 2010, Linnworks enables brands and retailers — from small-and-medium to large enterprises — to grow and connect their online selling channels, automate product listings, orders, and inventory management, and establish total commerce control. In a recent study conducted by Linnworks, The Effortless Economy: A New Age of Retail, 76 percent of consumers cite convenience as a top priority when it comes to online shopping. From product discovery to delivery, Linnworks enables brands like Ford, Disney, and Reckitt to offer convenient customer experiences through the ability to sell wherever their customers are and manage their commerce operations in a centralized location.
“In order to capture every revenue opportunity, brands are recognizing the need to not only increase the number of channels they sell on but also integrate those channels for a frictionless, more personalized customer experience,” said Callum Campbell, CEO of Linnworks. “With Marlin’s shared vision and support, we are excited to expand our offerings and deepen our capabilities to support our customers’ evolving needs and enable brands to scale.”
Initial growth capital will be used to expand Linnworks’ product suite, advance its core platform, and develop deeper intelligence capabilities. The investment will also support Linnworks’ continued expansion in North America and Europe to further enable brands in these regions to maximize customer acquisition as omnichannel shopping continues to gain traction. In fact, according to Statista, the use of digital devices before or during shopping will influence 58 percent of sales by 2022. Furthermore, omnichannel shoppers spend 15 to 20 percent more than the average consumer, according to multiple studies.
“The commerce landscape is changing, and Linnworks is paving the way for scalable, agile, and resilient operations for brands and retailers in the future,” said Roland Pezzutto, a principal at Marlin. “Having been bootstrapped to date, Linnworks’ compelling value proposition and exceptional leadership has facilitated early success and positioned it as a strong market leader in the space, and we look forward to supporting the company in its next stage of growth.”
The announcement comes on the heels of rapid growth for Linnworks. Bootstrapped since its founding, Linnworks has reached over $9 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) in the last 12 months alone. Additionally, over the past 18 months, the company has doubled its employee headcount and tripled its enterprise footprint as it acquired large household brands along its rapid growth trajectory. Linnworks operates globally in over 140 countries and is a major partner to commerce industry leaders including Shopify, Amazon, and eBay.
About Marlin Equity Partners
Marlin Equity Partners is a global investment firm with over $7.7 billion of capital under management. The firm is focused on providing corporate parents, shareholders and other stakeholders with tailored solutions that meet their business and liquidity needs. Marlin invests in businesses across multiple industries where its capital base, industry relationships and extensive network of operational resources significantly strengthen a company’s outlook and enhance value. Since its inception, Marlin, through its group of funds and related companies, has successfully completed over 190 acquisitions. The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, California with an additional office in London. For more information, please visit www.marlinequity.com.