Children’s apparel subscription box retailer Mac & Mia raised $5 million in a Series A funding round, bringing its total to $9 million in funds raised since 2014. The funding round included returning investors, Chicago Ventures, KGC Capital and Corazon Capital, along with Emerisque Ventures and a group of strategic individual consumer investors.
Chicago-based Mac & Mia plans to use the funding to expand into apparel markets across the United States, but the retailer did not specify which markets.
The retailer sells boys and girls clothing in sizes that range from newborn to size 10. Unlike many subscription box retailers that offer a recurring subscription box, Mac & Mia allows consumers to choose and schedule their shipments.
“We’ve combined an e-commerce strategy with a direct one-to-one relationship between stylist and customer,” says Marie Tillman, founder and CEO of Mac & Mia.
Mac & Mia says its customer base rose 60% last year with 140% more boxes shipped year over year. The e-retailer also added 100 remote, part-time stylists to its team in 2017; it plans to triple that number this year, Tillman says.
In other e-commerce news:
- Department-store company The Hudson’s Bay Co., No. 81 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 500, hired Bari Harlam as chief marketing officer for its North American operations, which include department-store chains Hudson’s Bay, Saks Fifth Avenue and Lord & Taylor, and the Saks Off 5th and Gilt businesses. Harlam previously held the title of executive vice president, membership, marketing and analytics at BJ’s Wholesale Club. “Bari is a real pioneer in data-driven performance,” Hudson Bay’s CEO Helena Foulkes says. “She will harness the power of consumer data and analytics. She has been innately able to translate complex data and digital insights into breakthrough marketing strategies that put the customer first.”
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TV and web merchant Evine Live Inc. hired Diana Purcel as its executive vice president and chief financial officer. Prior to Evine, Purcel spent nearly three years as chief financial officer of Chicago-based restaurant concept Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants and more than a decade as chief financial officer of Minnetonka, Minnesota-based restaurant Famous Dave’s of America Inc. “I am happy to welcome Diana, who has a strong reputation for leadership during times of significant growth and transformation and a proven track record of working with boards and executive teams to strengthen and grow brands,” says Evine Live CEO Bob Rosenblatt.
- Toymaker Mattel Inc.’s CEO, Margo Georgiadis, is stepping down from her role, and executive chairman Ynon Kreiz will take her place. Georgiadis joined Mattel in February 2017 from Google, but says she is leaving to pursue a new opportunity in the technology sector, the toymaker says. Kreiz, who was already expected to become chairman of the board, will still stand for election for that position on May 17.
- Website security company SiteLock was acquired by Boston-based private equity firm ABRY Partners from UnitedWeb. SiteLock provides security services to more than 12 million websites. The acquisition will allow it “to continue to develop new products and solutions to support and protect our customers,” says SiteLock CEO Neill Feather.
- Logistics technology firm project44 raised $35 million in funding for its data-driven supply chain technology. Since its founding in 2014, project44 has expanded its North American coverage to include rail and parcel shipments, in addition to full truckload, less-than-truckload and volume LTL. The technology company says it also has grown its revenue by more than 446% in the last 12 months.
