16 April 2021
Glasgow Chamber of Commerce member ACS has partnered with CaaStle, Inc., the technology and logistics platform upon which leading U.S. apparel brands launch and manage subscription-rental businesses.
CaaStle will leverage ACS’s world class reverse logistics and distribution center to offer UK retailers a turnkey subscription rental solution complete with white-label front-end technology, IT integration, and end-to-end order management and fulfilment (inclusive of cleaning, sanitisation, and repairs).
Partnering with CaaStle allows retailers to integrate a Clothing as a Service (CaaS), rental fashion subscription offering alongside their existing traditional ecommerce model quickly and seamlessly. Not only does this model enable retailers to increase revenue but it also encourages deeper customer engagement and minimises the risk of excess inventory.
Via CaaStle’s white-label B2B technology platform, customers will have the option to rent unlimited bundles and then should they fall in love with an item, they will also have the option to buy. This model encourages a shift towards circularity within a linear fashion system. Moreover, it satisfies customers desire for newness with far less environmental impact on the planet.
Moss Bros, a long-standing partner of ACS, will be the first UK retailer to launch their fashion subscription service on CaaStle’s rental technology platform. The subscription service ‘MOSS BOX’ will formally launch to the UK public on 20th April. Each Moss Box will offer customers two styles and unlimited swaps for a flat fee of £65 per month. Style options include a variety of men’s clothing that is currently stocked by Moss Bros. including Ted Baker and Hugo Boss.
Next in line to launch their UK fashion subscription service is womenswear brand L.K. Bennett. Details on L.K. Bennett’s subscription service will be announced in Summer 2021.
About CaaStle
CaaStle is the leading B2B rental technology platform in the US and has experienced exponential growth over the last three years. CaaStle pioneered the subscription rental model in 2012 with its owned and operated brand Gwynnie Bee and now makes its proprietary technology, reverse logistics systems and infrastructure available as an end-to-end solution, known as CaaS (“Clothing as a Service”). CaaStle powers subscription rental for well-known retailers in the U.S. including Banana Republic, Scotch & Soda, Vince, Express, Rebecca Taylor, and Walmart’s ELOQUII brand – to name just a few.
Comments from ACS management
Andrew Rough, our Chief Financial Officer, commented that their partnership with CaaStle is very exciting and revolutionary as it brings together two experts of clothing rental.
The partnership with CaaStle, allows retail brands in the UK to enter and scale up a clothing subscription service quickly with no upfront costs. Consumers are looking for something different and the move towards a virtual wardrobe works well as we continue to recognise the shift from ownership to usership and the underlying drive to be more sustainable.
Anthony Burns, our Chief Operating Officer, also commented that the partnership with CaaStle is a match ‘made in heaven’, as it provides retailers with the confidence that their orders will be fulfilled by ACS which has the only automated clothing rental facility in the UK.