LDC, the private equity investor, has exited its investment in J&J Global Fulfilment (J&J) to QLS, a Netherlands-based eCommerce fulfilment specialist, following five years of growth.
During the partnership with LDC, J&J expanded internationally, more than quadrupled revenue and invested in its people and proprietary eCommerce technology platforms.
Headquartered in Northampton, independent eCommerce fulfilment provider J&J serves more than 350 high growth mid-sized brands and online retailers.
LDC backed J&J’s management team, led by founder James Hyde, in March 2020 with an £11m investment to fund operational expansion and wider future growth initiatives. Since then, J&J’s growth has been driven by both UK and overseas expansion alongside investment in its eCommerce software platform.
With LDC’s support, J&J invested in a new purpose-built 200,000 sq ft facility in Northampton and established new operational capabilities in Holland, USA, Australia, Canada and Poland – bringing its total number of sites across the UK, Europe, Australia and North America to seven.
It also invested in its first US-based sales team and international sales now represent more than 30% of orders, up from 8% at the outset of its partnership with LDC.
Over the last five years, the business has grown revenues by 415% to £74m. It has also invested heavily in its workforce, growing global headcount by 350 to 470 over the same period, and increasing its annual orders fulfilled from 2.1 million to 8.5 million, fulfilling over 35 million global orders.
In addition, LDC has supported J&J to enhance its company culture. The business is certified as a Disability Confident workplace and has been named Employer of the Year at the Northamptonshire Business Excellence Awards.
The transaction was led by Chris Baker, partner at LDC. J&J CEO Emma Dempsey, alongside the rest of J&J’s management team, will continue to lead the business as part of the QLS Group, which is backed by private equity investor Waterland.
Emma Dempsey, CEO of J&J Global Fulfilment, said: “We have focused our efforts over the last five years on international growth, enhancing our award-winning software and developing the culture in the business. Thanks to the acquisition from QLS we are now perfectly positioned to seize this new opportunity and drive forward further growth.
“Our aim is to become a true partner to the businesses we work with, going beyond a standard fulfilment provider. We’re very excited to be able to enhance our offering further, all while remaining focused on the world-class service and solutions that our clients have come to expect.”
Quincy Boogers, CEO at QLS, added: “By adding J&J Global Fulfilment, we strengthen our position and can help our customers grow further. Together, we are creating a fulfilment network that combines scale, speed and quality.”
