STOCS processes one million items in first year

Surplus stock specialist launches two trading platforms, builds a 1,000+ buyer base and grows its team from five to 30 in twelve months

STOCS, the retail re-commerce company, has processed more than one million items of surplus retail stock in its first year of trading, has more than a thousand registered buyers and the company has launched two trading platforms of its own, with more planned.

STOCS was founded to tackle a market that behaves like a small one despite its size. Retail re-commerce — the resale of stock that comes back from customers, overshoots a forecast or reaches the end of a line — is fragmented and runs on relationships rather than data. Too much good stock ends up in a skip because finding the right buyer costs more than the stock is worth.

Brian Kearns, CEO, said: "A year ago founder Sheldon Miller and I agreed the time was right for a fundamentally different approach to retail enterprise re-commerce, to address the inefficiencies and fragmentation in the market. Our aim was to build a scalable business based on data and analytics. One year on, we have processed over 1 million items for resale and launched two platforms — Bulk STOCS and Bid STOCS — with more to come."

The company raised its capital round and opened on time and under budget, closing the round during the uncertainty that followed sudden shifts in US trade policy. In the twelve months since, STOCS has:

● grown from five people to 30, and is still hiring

● processed more than a million units across hundreds of thousands of product lines

● built a base of more than 1,000 buyers taking stock across the UK and internationally

● launched two of its own trading platforms alongside its work with established ecommerce marketplaces.

Bulk STOCS (bulk.stocs.com) sells wholesale pallets to trade buyers. Bid STOCS (bid.stocs.com) is a rolling online auction where individual items and boxes start at £2 with no reserve, and the price on screen is the price the buyer pays.

STOCS matches each type of stock to its best route to market. A returned laptop, a pallet of kitchenware and a single-item overstock rarely share the same best channel, and the company uses data and automation to optimise distribution. Clients recover more, buyers pay less, and far less good product goes to landfill for want of a buyer.

In its second year the company plans to keep hiring, launch further platforms and take on more inventory across more categories. Retailers with surplus stock, and trade buyers who want first look at what's coming through, are invited to get in touch.