The rapidly growing e-commerce company Essnce, which was started in Nässjö in 2022 and recently celebrated one million orders, is now significantly increasing its pace. Last year, the company opened seven pop-up stores. This year, that number will reach a total of 20, with 18 opening simultaneously on Friday, October 23rd. Another will open in Täby Centrum on November 6th, and one has already opened its doors.
Founder and CEO Jonna Gustafsson describes the initiative as a potential world record and explains the choice to concentrate the vast majority of the premieres on the same date.
Instead of communicating different dates for different cities, it’s much simpler to make a BANG and have the same opening for all stores,” she says on Linkedin.
Investing Outside Major Cities
A key part of the strategy is to reach beyond just the major cities, where pop-up concepts often tend to concentrate. In addition to Stockholm, Malmö and Partille near Gothenburg, the company will also establish itself in Luleå, Sundsvall, Borlänge, Gävle, Kristianstad, Halmstad, Örebro, Västerås, Linköping, Norrköping and Jönköping. Customers will be able to explore a range that now includes over 70 different fragrances.
Launching such an extensive physical establishment overnight is a major logistical challenge.
I have incredibly much in my entrepreneurship to thank my naivety for. If I hadn’t been so naive, I might have understood how much work it is with 20 stores on the same day and then it would never have happened. It’s insanely much coordination,” says Jonna Gustafsson.
Despite the massive investment in physical presence, the online business remains the company's core moving forward.
Even though e-commerce will always be at the heart of what we do, there is something special about getting out into physical retail and meeting the customer,” says Jonna Gustafsson.