Secret Sales launches 687 brands in 12 months as shoppers embrace fresh discount route

Secret Sales, the fast-growing online marketplace for off-price inventory, has signed 75 new contracts with multi-brand retail groups and standalone brands in the past 12 months, launching 687 new fashion, beauty and homewares, as consumers embrace the new discount route.

Tommy Hilfiger, Aquascutum, Regatta, Trespass, Hackett, Dsquared2, Diesel, Michael Kors and Quiz Clothing are among some of the brands and retailers to join the platform which enables brands to clear inventory in a "brand-enhancing, upmarket environment". It also allows brands to cultivate full-price customers via GDPR-compliant opt-ins.

“We are delighted to have partnered with Secret Sales as they offer a more aspirational channel for clearing sale stock without the need for aggressive discounting,” said Sheraz Ramzan, Chief Commercial Officer at Quiz Clothing. “The ability to capture customer data provides a considerable advantage over other platforms and we look forward to growing our business with Secret Sales.”

Retail entrepreneurs Chris Griffin and Matt Purt acquired Secret Sales in March 2020 shifting it from a flash sale model to a plug and play platform that enables brands to digitally connect supply chain and inventory systems and trade without the need to physically move stock to a third party seller. The platform effectively acts as an extension to a brand's e-commerce platform with orders shipped from the brand or retailer’s warehouse directly to the consumer.

Secret Sales reached a record 600,000 SKUs in 2021 with 31 million unique shoppers visiting the site. It has a registered customer base of 6.7 million and there are currently 1,600 brands showcasing product on the site.

“When Secret Sales launched as a marketplace in March 2020, we set out to build a digital equivalent to designer outlet destinations and create a shift in industry thinking around discounting. We are now seeing phenomenal demand from hundreds of brands that are moving away from a sole cash-recovery focus and embracing our business model which offers a clean and profitable exit strategy for selling non full price inventory in a sustainable way,” said Chris Griffin, CEO of Secret Sales. “Given our brand and product catalogue, we are fast becoming the largest marketplace for discount fashion in Europe.”