Spark Cleans Up With Soap And Glory Contract

Gateshead-based contact centre and fulfilment specialist Spark Response has won a new contract to provide trade fulfilment for the cosmetics brand Soap & Glory. Spark already works for BrandHandling, the owner of the Soap & Glory brand, providing fulfilment services for another of its popular brands, FitFlop footwear.

When the brand was launched in the UK three years ago, it was an instant success – almost five million pairs were sold in the first two years. Spark shipped pre-orders for women’s activewear retailer Running Bare, who were one of the first suppliers to stock the product for its UK launch and had taken thousands of orders from pre-registering custoemrs.

As public demand grew, Spark began to ship direct for BrandHandling’s trade customers in 2008. Now Spark is fulfilling orders for Soap & Glory’s trade customers, including high street retail giants Boots, John Lewis and Harvey Nichols.

The brand, which was launched in the UK in 2006, comprises a range of bath, body and beauty products and is the brainchild of Marcia Kilgore, the founder of the Bliss spa chain in New York.

Soap & Glory Cosmetics’ global sales and marketing manager, Victoria Montrasio, said: “We needed a logistics partner for our brand distribution in the UK who had experience in retail supply and compliance, added to which Spark Response’s successful support of our sister brand FitFlop made them an automatic choice.”

“Soap & Glory is a very popular brand so we’re delighted to win the business,” said Spark Response’s managing director, Peter Slee.

“We see ourselves as a partner rather than a supplier and winning Soap & Glory is a testament to the type of relationships we have with our clients.

“From supporting Running Bare during the FitFlop launch, we went on to win BrandHandling’s direct FitFlop trade business and have now further grown our partnership into supporting the Soap & Glory trade campaign. Although we’re probably better known as an eCommerce fulfilment company, there’s an increasing demand from companies like BrandHandling who need a partner to handle the supply chain aspect of their business, which is exactly what we do. This allows them to concentrate on product innovation and brand development.”

Mr Slee went on to say that Spark had won a further major eCommerce client, Kids Playstore, in 2008 through its FitFlop work.

“One of Kids Playstore’s co-founders was so impressed with the service she received from placing a Running Bare order that she asked them who their fulfilment partner was and got in touch with us,” he said.