While CREOATE first started life as a retail store, the CREOATE we know and love today was formed in January 2020, when we onboarded our first brands and manually uploaded their first products.
So this January marks our second birthday! And what a couple of years it’s been…
January 2020: CREOATE was born
Our co-founders Ashley and Fahad come from a finance background, but both have strong retail roots. However it was only when they ran a store together in London’s Covent Garden that they realised how hard retailers really have it; how exclusive the financing options are, and how hard it is to buy the right stock, in the right amounts.
So they set out to fix it, all of it — and today’s CREOATE was born: a wholesale marketplace for independents that’s really for independents.
Ashley and Fahad attended trade fairs towards the end of 2019 and in early 2020, speaking to brands about what they needed in a wholesale marketplace, and signing several up there and then — many of which are still selling through CREOATE to this day.
February 2020: We hired our first employee
…and she’s still here working tirelessly to discover, onboard and support exciting new independent brands (hi, Alice!).
March 2020: Covid hit
March 2020 saw the full force of the Covid-19 pandemic hit the UK, and the retail industry suddenly turned on its head.
Moving in and out of lockdowns made it almost impossible to predict what stock would be needed from one day to the next. While demand for some items fell by the wayside, demand for others — like puzzles and hand sanitiser — went through the roof.
We helped retailers stay reactive when the landscape became totally unpredictable, and supported the brave entrepreneurs who chose this time to launch their businesses — like Jenny from Bear Bookshop, and Kirsty from Lola & Wild.
August 2021: We announced our seed funding round
We announced our $5 million seed funding round, and received some lovely press from TechCrunch, EU-Startups, Tech.eu, and more.
December 2021: We signed for a new office
With lots of new London-based faces in the CREOATE team, we outgrew our Covent Garden home in a big way, and signed a new lease for an office in Old Street!
While we’re going to miss our original neighbourhood, we’re so excited to join the other 5,000 tech companies which call London’s ‘silicon roundabout’ home.
January 2022: Launching our CREOATE Month offers
Looking back on the last two years, it’s amazing to see just how far CREOATE has come. But what’s even more amazing is just how many small businesses we’ve been able to support along the way.
We know one thing for sure: we couldn’t have done it without you, our wonderful community of independents.
So this month — which we’ve affectionately dubbed ‘CREOATE Month’ — we’re celebrating you, too.
- If you’re already signed up to CREOATE, you can get 20% off one order this month, and 10% off your next two orders with the code CREOATE20.
- If you signed up this month, you can take 25% off your very first order only with the code CREOATE25.
- If you RSVP to shop our free New Year Virtual Trade Show, launching on 24th January, there’s an extra bonus waiting for you, too.
It’s our way of saying thank you for all your support over the years. We’re so proud of the CREOATE we’ve built with all of you!
Here’s to the next two years, and beyond.
Not registered with CREOATE yet? Sign up now and shop wholesale with us today.
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