EasyGroup founder launches EasyShop marketplace across 21 European markets

Thirty years after launching EasyJet, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, founder of the Easy family of brands, has launched EasyShop.com, a multi-category online marketplace operating across 21 European countries.

The launch takes the Easy brand into the e-commerce sector. Designed to offer a pure marketplace environment, EasyShop does not hold stock, sell own-label products or compete directly with retail partners on its platform.

Every listed product belongs to an independent seller, and all completed orders directly generate revenues for third-party retailers.

“Competition is good for consumers and it's good for businesses,” said Haji-Ioannou. “No market benefits when everyone feels they have only one place to go.”

“easyShop brings together the values the easy brand has always stood for, simplicity, value and choice, with a marketplace model that's designed to help retailers grow rather than compete against them. I believe there is plenty of room for a fresh approach to online shopping.”

Through a single merchant account, businesses can access consumers in 21 European countries, with local value-added tax (VAT) calculated automatically by the system. The infrastructure removes the requirement for merchants to establish local legal entities in every market, reducing operational complexity and expansion costs for cross-border trade.

Following a phased rollout of its localized web domains, hundreds of merchants are currently active on the platform. The platform is actively onboarding additional UK, European and international sellers ahead of Black Friday and the Christmas trading period.

The marketplace platform is powered and operated by UK-based marketplace technology provider OnCommerce, which also operates OnBuy and the upcoming Comet marketplace.

“Too many retailers are building their business on a platform that's also their biggest competitor,” said Cas Paton, chief executive officer at OnCommerce. “We think that's wrong. easyShop will never sell against the businesses that sell with it.”

“The easy brand has spent 30 years taking on the establishment and winning. Now we're taking on the giants of online shopping, and we're doing it on the side of sellers, to give them the fair deal they've been missing for too long,” added Paton.

For consumers, the multi-category destination lists millions of inventory items from verified sellers, offering free delivery options, rewards programs, flexible payment terms and verified buyer reviews.