Brandless

Brandless is an American e-commerce company that manufactures and sells products under its own Brandless label.[1] Founded by Ido Leffler and Tina Sharkey, it launched in July 2017 with a selection of 115 items, many of them marketed as healthy and environmentally-conscious.[2][3][4] On 10 February 2020, Brandless and key investor SoftBank confirmed that Brandless was terminating its operations.[5] The latest news is that, according to the website at Brandless.com, Brandless will return in Summer 2020. [6]

Brandless
Private
IndustryConsumer packaged goods (CPG), grocery
Founded2016 (2016)
FoundersIdo Leffler
Tina Sharkey
Headquarters
San Francisco, California, U.S.
,
United States
Area served
United States
ProductsFood
Beauty
Personal care
Housewares
Number of employees
60 (2017)
Websitebrandless.com

History

Sharkey and Leffler met while both were living in Mill Valley, California. Sharkey, the founder of iVillage and the former CEO of BabyCenter, had a background in online communities, and Leffler, the founder of several companies, including Yes To, Inc. and Yoobi, had experience in consumer products.[3]

In mid-2016, Sharkey resigned from her position as CEO of Sherpa Foundry to become CEO of Brandless, with Leffler serving as its chairman.[7] The company raised $16 million in funding led by Redpoint Ventures in November 2016,[8] and at launch had received a total of $50 million in venture capital from New Enterprise Associates, Google Ventures, and others.[3]

In 2018, the company launched a pop-up store in Los Angeles in May.[9] Brandless launched a second, larger pop-up store in New York in October 2018.[10]

In May 2019, Brandless raised $240 million as a part of its series C funding round.[11]

In February 2020, Brandless announced that it is ceasing operations,[12] citing fierce competition and business model inviability in the direct-to-consumer market.[13]

Business model

Brandless was based in San Francisco, California, and operated an additional facility in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It marketed its foods as GMO-free, its health and beauty items as cruelty-free, and paper products as adhering to sustainable forestry practices.[1] Products' labels consist of only a white box with the product's name and two to five descriptors, such as organic, kosher, or gluten-free.[14] Brandless is a brand of its own.[15]

The company operated a direct-to-consumer model[8] which it promoted as reducing markups compared to conventional brand-name items. Initially, Brandless priced single items at $3, or multiple items for $3 total.[3][16][17] That policy changed in January 2019 and higher-priced products were offered.[18]

In 2019, Brandless began to offer an optional subscription service to its customers.[19]

Awards and recognition

In February 2018, Brandless received the Best NewCo of the Year award from NewCo Honors for disrupting retail markets and donating 250,000 meals to Feeding America.[20] Additionally, it was awarded "StartUp of the Year" by AdAge,[21] one of "The World' Most Innovative Companies in Retail" by Fast Company.[22]

See also

References
  1. Meyer, Zlata (July 14, 2017). "What does $3 buy you? On this website, everything". USA Today. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  2. Terlep, Sharon (July 12, 2017). "Brandless Fights Big Brands with $3 Pricing". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  3. Feldman, Amy (July 11, 2017). "Brandless Hopes To Shake Up Consumer Products With Direct-To-Consumer Basics For $3". Forbes. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  4. "Co-founders of online grocer Brandless on their mission to make shopping simpler". CBS This Morning. July 13, 2017. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  5. "SoftBank-backed Brandless to lay off staff, shutter operations". CNBC Retail. February 10, 2020. Retrieved 10 February 2020.
  6. http://www.brandless.com
  7. Anzilotti, Eillie (July 13, 2017). "This New Site Sells Food And Household Essentials–All For $3 Or Less". Fast Company. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
  8. Rao, Leena (December 7, 2016). "Exclusive: Investors Bet on Brandless as the Next Procter and Gamble for Millennials". Fortune. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  9. "Discount start-up launches first pop-up—with a twist | Chain Store Age". Chain Store Age. 2018-04-17. Retrieved 2018-04-17.
  10. Crook, Jordan (October 2018). "Brandless is launching a pop-up shop in NYC". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  11. htc (2019-05-30). "Brandless Receives $240 Million In Series C Funding Round, Enabling Continued Growth For The E-Commerce Startup". HiTechChronicle. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
  12. https://techcrunch.com/2020/02/10/softbank-backed-brandless-shuts-its-doors-for-good/
  13. https://brandless.com/
  14. Schwab, Katharine (July 14, 2017). "Lessons On Branding From A Company That Has No Brand". Fast Company Design. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  15. Pomranz, Mike (July 12, 2017). "Online Grocery Store 'Brandless' Sells Everything for $3". Food and Wine. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  16. Peterson, Laurie (September 5, 2017). "Interview with Tina Sharkey, CEO and Co-Founder of Brandless". Whole Foods Magazine. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  17. "Startup Aims to Offer Savings by Ditching Brands for Good". NBC News 2. September 3, 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  18. Ruff, Corinne (March 20, 2019). "Brandless expands health and wellness assortment". Retail Dive. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  19. Ruff, Corinne (January 17, 2019). "BRIEF Brandless launches subscription option". Retail Dive. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  20. "2018's Most Inspiring Companies: The NewCo Honors Award Recipients". NewCo Shift. 2018-02-27. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
  21. "Ad Age Announces The Winners Of The 2018 Creativity Awards". Ad Age. March 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
  22. "2019 The World's Most Innovative Companies". Fast Company. January 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
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