Faire Brings 100,000 Brands to 14 New European Markets

How the Platform Works

Faire acts as a go-between for small retailers and product suppliers. Instead of calling dozens of wholesalers or attending trade shows, shop owners can browse and order products online. The company handles payments, shipping, and returns.

The big selling point is 60-day payment terms and free returns on first orders. Most traditional wholesalers want payment upfront and set high minimum orders that many small shops can’t afford.

Europe Drives Growth

The expansion covers Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and Slovenia. These markets show some of Europe’s fastest retail growth, but many local retailers struggled to source international products.

Faire’s European business already outpaces North America. Brands there have shipped over 2 million orders, and retailers have spent close to $500 million through the platform. That growth rate is twice what the company sees in its home market.

Local Suppliers Join Too

It’s not just about bringing foreign brands to new markets. Suppliers in these countries listed over 115,000 products on Faire, showing local brands want to reach retailers beyond their borders too.

Lithuanian company Linen Tales proves the model works. The home goods brand joined in 2019 and has since racked up $3 million in sales through nearly 2,000 retailers on the platform.

“New retailers discover us through the platform every week,” said founder Boris Symulevic.

The company now reaches customers it never could have found through traditional wholesale channels.

Competition for Traditional Wholesale

Faire challenges how wholesale traditionally works. Small retailers often get squeezed out of good supplier relationships because they can’t meet minimum orders or payment terms designed for bigger stores.

The platform levels things out by letting small shops order the same products as larger retailers, just in smaller quantities. Suppliers benefit by reaching customers they wouldn’t normally serve.

Making this work across different countries takes serious backend investment. Faire built local currency support, VAT handling, and customer service in multiple languages. The company’s UK office employs about 100 people managing European operations.

Testing Expansion Strategy

The European rollout follows successful launches elsewhere. In Australia, Faire enabled 170,000 orders for 4,000 local brands since launching in 2022. Over 10,000 Australian retailers now use the platform regularly.

These numbers suggest the business model translates well beyond the US market, where wholesale buying has moved online faster than in many other regions.