Central European Investor MCI Takes Minority Stake In Polish Clothing E-Tailer Answear

Every market needs its own e-tailers and Poland is no exception. One of the major players in Central Europe is Answear.com, a Polish fashion e-tailer led by Krzysztof Bajołek, and it has just raised an undisclosed sum from MCI Management S.A., a CEE investor active in the area.

Average investments are about 1.5 to 25 million euro.

Why is this important? CEE and the Balkans are still ripe for disruption. While the vast majority of the services we use every day are available to the digerati, it’s important that everything is represented – even online clothing sales.

Bajołek founded the company in 2011 after selling a public Polish fashion company, Artman. The company is seeing 1.3 million monthly visits with 60,000 repeat customers. The company has seen consistent year-over-year growth.

What are the key differentiators between you and other players?
“MCI has vast experience on the e-commerce scene, in Poland and as well as in CEE region. Answear.com is our 4th e-fashion investment,” said MCI spokesperson Mateusz Sabak. “As Poland is the fastest growing e-commerce market in UE (CAGR of 30%) and Poles are more and more interested in buying goods online, we decided to support a company that already has a leading position in Poland.”

The site deals in fast-moving youth fashions including t-shirts, sportswear, and some designer gear from Desigual, Diesel, and Converse. While it’s no Amazon in reach or quantity of products available, it’s definitely a step forward for CEE e-tail.