Following the Lead of China’s VIPShop, FClub Gets $30 Million Series B Funding
Despite a fairly sluggish VC funding scene in China this year, the Chinese flash sales site FClub has secured $30 million in series B funding. This significant second round – three times larger than FClub’s first, back in April 2011 – was led by IGC, along with IDG Capital, Zero2IPO Capital, and SK Capital.
The news comes from the VP of FClub.cn, Yi Zongyuan, in a post on his personal Weibo account. The flash sales site – also sometimes referred to as “VIP sales” in the industry – launched in July 2009 and focuses on mid-range clothing and accessories, with some luxury offerings as well. The site partners with over 1,500 brands to buy up items that are then sold over a period of just five days to its members.
The return of IDG and Zero2IPO in a second round could be construed as a very good sign for FClub’s growth in the past year. The site is following the path first taken by the Chinese flash sales site VIPShop, which listed on the NYSE in March of this year.
Speaking to the Chinese media last week, Zero2IPO’s Wang Lipeng praised FClub’s “precise positioning and meticulous management” in this tricky B2C e-commerce sector.
FClub has self-reported having two million registered users, of whom 400,000 are active. It has 500 employees, including all those at its warehouses. Based in Shanghai, the startup site has offices in Guangzhou and Hong Kong too.
先週、Zero2IPOのWang Lipengは、中国メディアに対し、この一筋縄ではいかないB2C分野におけるFClubの「確固たる位置づけと細部にまで行き届いた管理能力」を賞賛した。
FClubは自己報告の形ではあるが200万人の登録ユーザー数を誇るとしており、うち40万人はアクティブユーザーだという。当サイトでは、500名もの従業員を抱えているが、これには倉庫・卸販売店の従業員も含まれる。上海に拠点を置く当スタートアップサイトは、広州と香港にもオフィスを構えている。
Zero2IPOのWang Lipengは先週中国メディアに対し話をし、この難しいB2C eコマース分野でのFClubの「正確なポジショニングと細やかなマネジメント」を褒め称えた。
FCｌubは200万人の登録ユーザーを抱え、そのうち40万人がアクティブだと自己報告した。倉庫にいる人間を含め、従業員は500人いる。上海を拠点に、このスタートアップ企業はGuangzhouと香港にもオフィスを構える。
