Ankorstore

Ankorstore operates a business-to-business wholesale marketplace that connects independent and local brands with independent retailers such as boutiques, concept stores, grocers and coffee shops. Brands apply, are vetted by the marketplace (a decision reported within 48 hours) and upload product catalogues; retailers browse and order at wholesale prices. The company describes its structure as B2B2C, with the final sale happening offline in the retailer's shop. Ankorstore holds no inventory and operates no warehouses, positioning itself as a transaction and connection layer; co-founder Nicolas Cohen has compared the model to a professional network such as LinkedIn [1][2][6].

As of the 2022 sources the platform listed more than one million unique products across categories including home & living, grocery, kids, beauty and fashion, with sports & wellbeing and pets added in 2022 [2][6]. The public storefront organises listings into Home & Kitchen, Food & Drinks, Beauty & Wellness, Fashion & Accessories, Jewellery, Baby & Kids and Stationery & Hobbies, with wholesale prices shown only after sign-up [0]. Terms designed for small retailers include a minimum order of €100 per brand and payment terms of up to 60 days; brands are paid on delivery and shipping costs are reimbursed by Ankorstore, with free shipping to retailers on orders of at least €300 [5][6].

A later self-published product update (January 2026) describes a revised model with 0% commission on reorders, brand-configurable commercial terms (minimum order value, free-shipping threshold, shipping fees), guaranteed payment within two days, a one-off acquisition charge per new customer introduced by Ankorstore, and a payment solution called Aria offering retailers 60- and 90-day deferred payment. The same update covers a brand performance dashboard, centralised discounts and offers including Ankorstore Plus member offers, order-delay declaration, post-acceptance order editing, a unified retailer contact view with AI-assisted email campaigns, and 2026 carrier pricing with UPS and DHL [7].

Founding story

Founded in November 2019 by four French e-commerce entrepreneurs: Pierre-Louis Lacoste (former Etsy France country manager and previously a shop owner and clothing-brand manager), Nicolas d'Audiffret and Nicolas Cohen (founders of A Little Market), and Mathieu Alengrin (former Head of Engineering at Vestiaire Collective). Lacoste has said the idea grew from his own experience as a retailer, brand manager and Etsy executive rather than a single insight, with the aim of giving independent retailers technology comparable to large chains. The name derives from the retail term 'anchor store', a shop that drives footfall [2][5][6].

Business model

Two-sided marketplace with no owned inventory or warehousing; Ankorstore intermediates orders, payments and shipping between independent brands (supply) and independent retailers (demand), guaranteeing payment to brands on delivery while extending deferred payment terms to retailers, with upfront payments to brands financed through a third party rather than its own working capital [1][6].

Commission charged to brands on transactions: historically 20% on a brand's first order with a new retailer and 10% on reorders from the same retailer, with no additional fees; the commission covers payment guarantee, retailer payment facilities and full or partial shipping reimbursement. A revised model published in January 2026 states 0% commission on reorders and a one-time B2B acquisition charge per new customer introduced by the platform [1][6][7].

Traction

At the January 2022 Series C the platform reported 200,000 retailers and 15,000 brands across 23 European countries, up from 50,000 retailers and 5,000 brands at the May 2021 Series B; more than 11,000 brands registered during 2021 and sales volume grew 950% between 2020 and 2021. The platform listed over one million unique products and reported 2.5 million brand-retailer connections and about 400 employees. In 2021 Ankorstore launched in the UK and reported a 3x sales increase after stores reopened; Nicolas Cohen said most revenue came from international markets rather than France, citing the UK, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden as growth markets [1][2][6].

Latest developments

A company product update dated 12 January 2026 announced a simplified Ankorstore model with 0% commission on reorders, brand-set commercial terms, guaranteed payment within two days, a one-off acquisition fee per new customer, and the Aria payment solution enabling 60- and 90-day deferred payment for more retailers. It also introduced a personalised brand dashboard, a centralised Discounts & Offers space including Ankorstore Plus-only offers, order delay declaration, order editing after acceptance, a unified 'My Network' retailer contact view with AI-assisted campaign generation, and an updated 2026 shipping price grid for UPS and DHL that reopened UPS shipping to International Zone 2 [7].