Affordable design
Hem is actually a merger of Fab.Com’s European collaborations with Finnish One Nordic and German start-up MassivKonzept, both acquired by Fab.com. Hem, the Swedish word for home, wants to sell affordable design furniture. Customers have to construct the furniture at home, without the need for tools, and can combine items as they see fit.
Hem’s home base is in Europe, but Goldberg expects half of its turnover to come from the United States. Hem has also found partners in Japan, Australia, Turkey and South Africa, with its own showroom in Berlin.
Different to Fab
Goldberg believes Hem will also appeal to Fab.com’s customers: “Hem wasn’t an idea that just came out of nowhere. It was really based on our learnings from Fab and observing our customer behavior.” The biggest difference between both shops is that Hem is focused on Nordic minimalism, while Fab often relied on “kitsch and gimmick”.
Fab has mainly focused on customers that fit Hem’s profile over these past few months. They received exclusive previews and they were asked to sign up for the VIP program. According to Goldberg, more than 100,000 of Fab.com’s best customers have signed up for Hem.
