ShopFulfill has launched Anchor Shops, a vertically integrated retail storefront and distributed network designed to help e-Commerce pure plays launch their first forays into brick-and-mortar. As part of the venture, Anchor Shops will help its digitally native partner brands handle logistics and hire associates in its space.
The first Anchor Shops location will open in the Fashion District in Downtown Philadelphia, and the first fulfillment center is located at Moorestown Mall in Moorestown, N.J. Members of the Anchor Shop network will gain access to store space, a regional distribution network and buy online/pick up in-store (BOPIS) fulfillment options powered by Anchor Shops’ own in-store staff.
The Fashion District store is co-located with the Jefferson SEPTA station, which sees 22 million commuters pass through every year. The store is aiming to house more than 40 digital-first brands, which will support each other through a curated in-store customer journey.
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“Anchor Shops is the logical next step in the evolution of retail,” said Chris Walton, CEO of Omni Talk and Third Haus and an advisor to Anchor Shops in a statement. “It is easy to start a shop online nowadays, but the infrastructure and knowledge it takes to expand a brand’s presence into the physical world is complicated and expensive.”
Both the store and fulfillment center will open in Q2 2020. ShopFulfill plans to scale the Anchor Shops network within the Philadelphia/South New Jersey region in the future.
