British boutique marketplace Trouva has found a new owner to save it from Made.com‘s bankruptcy. Social commerce start-up Re:store stepped up to buy the platform.
Social integration
Trouva saw 2022 turn from a dream into a nightmare: in May, the platform for independent merchants (similar to Etsy) was acquired by Made.com. It was supposed to be a promising partnership and significant scale-up, but just a few months later the then-new owner confessed to being in financial trouble, eventually going bankrupt in November.
British retailer Next bought the brand Made.com, but it remained unclear what would happen to Trouva. Now it appears the platform has been saved: the Cambridge-based start-up Re:store is buying the marketplace. Founded in 2020, Re:store specialises in social commerce technology to – in its own words – restore a human connection in online shopping.
Re:store plans to integrate its technology into the marketplace, but Trouva will remain as an independent company after the acquisition. By offering more personalised communication and experiences on the platform, the start-up believes it can create deeper connections and “bridge the gap between online and offline for independent retailers”. Trouva currently works with 650 boutiques across Europe and delivered in 38 different countries last year.
