Manchester-based digital collective Inc & Co, which last year snapped up a raft of businesses including MyLife Digital and Wood for Trees, is launching a retail division to house its latest acquisitions, luxury bag and accessories brand Knomo and high street eatery Chop’d.
Inc Retail Group has been created to “reimagine the high street” and will be headed by managing director Dan Shaw. The former Molton Brown, Jones Bootmaker and Burberry manager was most recently general manager of retail innovation at Intu shopping centres.
Chop’d, which specialises in breakfasts, salads, soups, wraps and stews made from seasonal and local produce, has 13 outlets in the UK, including in Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester; Knomo’s flagship store is in London but it has a strong network of “partner retailers” across the UK, including four in Manchester alone.
Inc founder and CEO Jack Mason said: “The acquisition of Chop’d and Knomo marks a significant step for us into the retail arena, and I’m proud that both brands have a strong Manchester presence. As a customer of Chop’d, I’m looking forward to once again being able to eat out with friends and work colleagues.
“Dan and I have a unique shared vision for how we believe we can reimagine the high street and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience to make that vision come to life.”
The retail division represents an expansion of Inc & Co’s existing business, which launched in July 2019 to help digital-only businesses prosper. It recorded a £10m turnover in its first 12 months and now has 240 staff with offices in Leeds, London, Bath and Manchester.
Last year, the group acquired digital agencies including Skylab, Brass, Neon and Cuhu, plus on-demand dry-cleaning and laundry delivery platform Laundrapp, MyLife Digital, Wood for Trees and sports data agency Insight Analysis.
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