Online Retailer Occa-Home Announces Top Board Appointment
(PRWEB UK) 26 March 2013
Following investment from retail specialists and ASOS backers, The William Currie Group, online designer home-wares retailer Occa Home today announced the appointment of Robert Willett to the Occa Home Board.
Willett started his retail career at Marks & Spencer PLC and brings many years of International operational experience working with heavyweight global retailers on omni-channel strategy, sourcing, procurement, technology and customer segmentation.
A Veteran of the CIO Hall of Fame, Willett “enabled the company to move faster and pursue more far-reaching strategies than anyone else in our company’s IT history, including the development and roll out of the very successful BestBuy Mobile,said former Best Buy CEO Brad Anderson.
“Attracting funding complete with a high calibre of investors can be challenging.” Kate Mooney Founder & CEO of Occa Home notes: “Our strategy for Occa is not about raising money in isolation – it’s about attracting an experienced team of experts who will make a tangible and sustainable difference to the business – therefore we’re all delighted to welcome Bob to the Board and as a Shareholder and look forward to the results of adding his skills and experience to the team.”
Established in 2009, Occa-Home’s sales have more than doubled year on year, delivering growth of 185% in FY11-12. The company continues to grow rapidly in the UK while targeting international expansion. “This pace of growth is set to continue,” says Kate “all our key metrics continue to improve by triple figures in FY12-13 and while still a relatively small business, we’re got a great team full of ambition for Occa Home.”
With a growing portfolio of over 130 designer brands and a unique design heritage in the sector, Occa Home has regularly punched above its weight, fast becoming the leading online interiors destination. Seen as an authority on home interiors and the go to place for designer branded home-wares, the site attracts visitors from over 185 countries worldwide and almost 25% of its sales are generated internationally.
This latest round of investment, which was matched again by original Seed Investor and e-commerce expert Bill Dobbie as well as retail specialists, The William Currie Group, will accelerate the growth of the business as it continues to expand its technology, digital marketing and web development teams as well as increasing the brand portfolio, lifestyle looks and breadth of the collection.
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Occa Home
Occa-Home is a technology led, innovative e-commerce solution and the leading independent online interiors website. It delivers designer branded homewares and lifestyle collections, curated by professional interior designers with a global supply-chain. Occa makes these irresistible products available to buy online globally 24/7. With triple digit growth YOY since launch, Occa is set to dominate the designer online home-wares sector, changing the way customers purchase design led home furnishings and the way manufacturers and designers bring their products to market.
Kate Mooney
Kate is turning the world of interior design on its head. With over twenty years’ experience working on professional interiors projects, Kate is the founding director of hotel design specialists Occa-Design as well as the CEO and founder of the ground breaking Occa Home e-commerce venture – the UK’s Premier Online Interior Design Boutique. In the challenging economic climate of the past three years, Kate has focused on re-defining her business by embracing technology & digital retail to change the way people access great interior design ideas and products – and then have them delivered straight into their homes. She’s leveraged her established supply chain and global hotel design experience to create this compelling new concept and availability in interiors.
Robert Willlet
Bob is a leader with significant international operating experience in the Retail, Multi-Channel and Technology Industries. He has enjoyed operating roles from M&S to BestBuy and was the Global Managing Partner of Anderson Consulting / Accenture’s Retail Practice, where he worked at best-in-class retailers throughout the world on strategy review, business transformation, procurement and supply chain management, brand positioning, technology transformation and customer segmentation. Bob has a passion for utilizing “customer insights” and technology to deliver a superior customer experience and upper quartile returns for shareholders through a results driven organisation.
William Currie Group
The William Currie Group was founded and is led by Bill Currie, a former number one rated city retail analyst and specialises in investments into retail & consumer companies. The Group’s investment portfolio is managed by Bill Currie and Iain McDonald, also formerly a number one ranked retail analyst. WCG has invested in a number of internet retail businesses, most notably Asos and QXL Ricardo, both of which led to multiple return cash exits. Bill founded the retail business, The Fragrance Shop, which he later sold to Peacock Group PLC.
Bill Dobbie
Bill is an experienced entrepreneur and director specialising in internet, telecoms and technology businesses. He has led a number of successful private equity funded businesses spanning founder to non-exec positions. Bill has been a Director of Demon Internet, Prestel, Teledata, Scottish Telecom (Thus) Iomart and several other companies. Bill is currently CEO of Cupid plc, an AIM listed online dating business, a non-executive director of Maxymiser Ltd a provider of online marketing software and services, Tag-Games Ltd a provider of mobile and social games and Digitalbox Ltd a discount and saving website
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