Online retailer Firebox.com acquired by MH direkt

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Firebox.com, the online retailer for unusual and quirky gifting, has been acquired by e-commerce service provider MH direkt for an undisclosed sum.

Firebox has been independently owned by founders Michael Acton Smith and Tom Boardman since the company’s creation in 1998. Launched on the back of their incredibly successful invention; the ‘shot glass chess set’, Firebox was one of the first UK e-commerce success stories and set the bar for unusual gifts and online shopping. 

The 22-year old company is best known for its quirky, giftable creations, including Unicorn Tears Gin (the original shimmer spirit), the Mystery Box, CrapWrap and Mushions. The London-based company has served over 5 million happy customers to date. 

As a one-stop provider for the entire e-commerce sector, MH direkt already works with a number of online retailers, and also successfully owns European gift sites Radbag, Troppotogo and CadeauxFolies. The takeover of the London-based online shop Firebox at the beginning of May is an important milestone in the growth strategy of the Austrian company.

Philipp Schindler, MH direkt’s CEO, said: “Firebox was always a role model for us and we've learned a lot from them when it comes to creating a really great, extraordinary gift shopping site. So, we believe that our own shops and Firebox complement each other very well.” 

“Both shops”, Philipp Schindler continues, “will be operated separately, yet working closely together in terms of marketing and product development. We are looking forward to bundling our creativity and gifting expertise in order to make our shops better and our customers happier. All in all, there’s a lot of synergies between the brands to benefit from; thus, we see Firebox as an excellent addition to our portfolio."

Philipp Schindler concludes: “The market entry in Great Britain offers us a great opportunity: On the one hand in the B2C business, with significantly more customers and a correspondingly higher number of annual orders, on the other hand in the B2B area, where we want to enlarge our business and strengthen our position as a company in the future. This is our most important goal within the framework of constant and organic growth.”

Kristian Bromley, Firebox’s Managing Director, said, “We are very excited about this new chapter for the business and delighted to work for Philipp and the MHD team. We've been close allies for a long time and this move makes perfect sense for all of us. Our aim is to continue to grow our unusual product offering and be the go-to destination for hard-to-find, unique gifts.”