Smollan acquires majority stake in Send Me a Sample Limited

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Founded in 2018 Send Me a Sample has rapidly expanded as a proprietary technology business creating sustainable personal brand experiences for the way people live and shop today. It has been built around a unique application that enables people to request, try and buy a product or service.

A solution that provides an end-to-end activation from media reach to purchase conversion. In turn, affording brands the opportunity to access measurable and effective product trial with the added benefit of capturing 1st party data.

Smollan, operational in 62 countries globally, with a footprint of over 75,000 passionate people representing their client’s brands, unlocks growth to help their clients win at the point of purchase.

Since its establishment in South Africa in 1931, Smollan has built a reputation for excellence in translating strategies into effective retail execution across various channels and categories. The company is committed to fostering growth and driving positive change through a purposeful, diverse, inclusive, and sustainable business approach.

The acquisition allows both Smollan and Send Me a Sample to share their solutions and resources to deliver solutions for their clients and deliver sustainable business growth. Send Me a Sample will benefit from Smollan’s vast global customer base, data marketing insights, and advanced retail technologies to enhance business operations.

Concurrently, Smollan will tap into Send Me a Samples’ niche market expertise in managing a performance-driven customer acquisition tool that understands the value of consumer purchase conversion.

Commenting on this partnership, Jeanette Hern, Smollan's chief corporate development officer said, “We are delighted to be partnering with an organisation that is disrupting the sampling market through technology.

By sharing our capabilities and thought leadership, we aim to deliver world-class solutions that enable brands to swiftly adapt to evolving consumer demands and behaviours.”

Send Me a Sample’s founder, Will Glynn-Jones commented, “The partnership between Smollan & Send Me a Sample offers an obvious and powerful synergy. We’re incredibly excited to grow Send Me a Sample’s global footprint and client reach, whilst providing valuable innovation and new solutions to the Smollan Group.”

Smollan’s years of experience in helping client’s win at the point of purchase, and Send Me a Samples ability to mainstream sampling - affords both companies the opportunity to deliver increased scale, innovation, and efficiency.