HAVOO lands in Spain to compete with Amazon in logistics for SMEs
The British company Huboo arrives in Spain with its fulfillment service (comprehensive management of the process of selling, storing, packaging and shipping merchandise to any part of the world) in the midst of the e-commerce boom, and ready to compete with Amazon for SMEs.
According to Forrester, e-commerce grew 2.5 times faster in 2020 in areas of Western Europe, which implies a growth of 31%, generating 2.3 billion euros in the provision of storage, transport and distribution services , "and this poses," says Huboo, "logistical challenges, especially for small retailers and individual businesses who want to sell their products online and who cannot afford their own warehouse or the personnel necessary to manage it."
Huboo, founded in 2017 in Bristol (United Kingdom), will open its first 4,200m2 logistics center in Madrid at the end of October, creating more than 100 jobs. The company plans to have more centers in Spain (it does not specify how many or where) and have more than 13,000 m2 in the country and more than 150 employees by the end of 2022 and reach more than 600 workers by the end of 2023, they tell CincoDías.
“Huboo combines innovative and intuitive technology with a pan-European logistics network run by highly trained and customer-oriented warehouse teams,” the company explains. Its software integrates with the main sales channels and allows e-commerce companies to manage all their inventory from a single tool, "having access to a more intelligent, productive and people-managed warehouse." Within it, Huboo houses its teams in autonomous "microcenters" that replicate the inputs, processes and outputs that occur in traditional larger warehouses, but in a much more controlled space. The entire distribution process is managed by Huboo's administration software.
The company's solution includes all types of packaging, warehousing and logistics services for SMEs, from transaction management, stock and quality control, order tracking and billing information to integration with markets and popular sales channels, like Amazon, eBay and Shopify. "This allows you to directly receive and process orders from retailers in real time and manage and update inventory automatically," they say. Huboo's technology proposition includes a comprehensive control panel for its customers to configure, monitor orders and stock inventory, and track product deliveries live.
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Spain is the second country in Huboo's European expansion plans after its launch in the Netherlands, with a logistics center in Eindhoven at the beginning of June this year. With the center of Madrid, located in Vicálvaro, the company already has more than 16,000 m2 in total storage space. Huboo has experienced strong growth from two employees, 60 clients and €23,500 in monthly recurring revenue (MRR) to more than 250 employees, more than 1,000 clients and €1.4 million MRR in four years.
By next April, the British company plans to obtain more than 1.1 million in annual recurring revenue in Spain and add more than 100 customers.
The CEO and co-founder of Huboo, Martin Bysh, explains that Spain is one of the most important economies in the EU, “but the e-commerce market still has great growth potential. The quality of the infrastructure and the incredible growth experienced by e-commerce over the past year, with an increase in online retail sales of 20%, consolidated our decision to establish ourselves in Spain to offer our services”. The company, which has obtained more than 21 million euros in its first round of investment, plans to expand to other European countries and the US. Huboo plans to close another larger round in the coming months, in order to face a rapid internationalization.
"Expanding into other countries in Europe has always been part of our plan, regardless of Brexit. However, with many of our UK customers looking for an EU warehousing and distribution partner, so with great potential for With an untapped local market, such as Spain, it made sense to expand into this market. With this expansion we also hope to boost the local economy and bring new employment opportunities to the area." Bysh remarks.
