“A true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer”. Company set-up was harder and more costly, there were less service providers whether that be legal, payment gateways or logistics. Sarah Jones, founder of Dubai-based e-tailer Sprii, shares her UAE insider knowledge. June 21, 2018. Menabytes cited a letter from founder and CEO Sarah Jones who said: “As a result of our inability to raise further capital to support the ongoing trading of Sprii, coupled with the conclusion of an unsuccessful campaign to sell the business, I have been forced to take significant steps that … Sha has been the recipient of many awards since the business launched including Small Business CEO of the Year Award, a listing in Arabian Business’s 50 Most Influential Brits in the UAE, Sarah Jones. Making sure you’re planning your hiring and technology automation well in advance is crucial. All Rights Reserved. GCC. If you end up being an entrepreneur, you were probably born with it in your DNA. Sarah Jones is living proof of this. Described by her friends, as “a relentless enterprise of fresh ideas and innovations” she’s never lost the thirst for clinching a business deal first hand and is a self-confessed workaholic. 2016 proved equally successful, winning ‘Online Business of the Year Award’ at the Gulf Capital SME Awards and appearing on Forbes Middle East’s ’50 Of The Most Promising Start Ups’ list. However, the main question is where the consumer wants to transact. Sprii chief Sarah Jones is living proof of this. In a letter to suppliers, CEO Sarah Jones says the move comes after a failure to raise further capital and an unsuccessful campaign to sell the business Sprii UAE, one of the biggest online shopping platforms “offering everything for mums in Dubai and … SHARE. {{profile.first_name}} {{profile.last_name}}, Arabian Business: why we're going behind a paywall, Majority of UAE entrepreneurs say banking is the biggest challenge, Emirati entrepreneurs open first coffee shop in Dubai, India says to showcase innovation, start-ups at Dubai Expo 2020, 50 Coders graduates get chance to launch start-ups, Business advice for up-and-coming entrepreneurs in the Middle East, Entrepreneur of the Week: Dawaami's Kamal Al Samarrai. Founded in 2014 as Mini Exchange by Sarah Jones, the startup rebranded as Sprii in 2017. For more information visit: www.sprii.com, Site map | Cookie policy | © 2019 Naseba, DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION & CYBER DEFENCE SUMMIT MIDDLE EAST 2019. Her phone is never off, her mind is always active and her passion to drive the business forward is unrivaled. In the six-year short period since its inception, Sprii has grown into a multi-million dollar business with more than 100 employees. Never one to rest on her laurels, in 2016, Sarah turned her attention to growing the brand portfolio to include- “At Home” and Pre/Post Pregnancy “Get Fit” categories, thus paving the way for Mini Exchange to evolve and become the destination providing Everything For Mums. What I do: I am the CEO and Founder of Sprii.com, an online shopping hub that’s on a mission to provide ‘Everything for Mums’ across the Middle East. Consumers will always enjoy going to the physical shops to see and feel the products and enjoy the experience, too. The E-commerce industry in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is one of the most attractive growth opportunities in the world at the moment. Sprii chief Sarah Jones is living proof of this. I wanted to be on the other side of the table. It’s a huge market and one that is shifting online. Sarah Jones is living proof of this. Spotting a gap in the e-commerce market on arrival, she quickly secured funding to make her idea a reality and Sprii was born. Be passionate. Here she chats about her successful journey and being a mom to 1-year old Willow Here she chats about her successful journey and being a mom to 1-year old Willow Jessica Hill. Scaling incredibly quickly always creates challenges as one needs to maintain the same customer experience whether you have 10 orders a day or 10,000. For us, raising from strategic investors has been critical as it has opened doors for us and given us an incredibly supportive and connected investor base. From strollers to diapers and maternity wear to nursery furniture and decor, Sprii’s web and mobile-based marketplace, as the startup claims, sells everything for mums. To date we have still not taken any institutional money. Sprii's Sarah Jones. Since launching Sprii.com in 2014, Sarah has become a trusted voice within the regional e-commerce space, regularly providing commentary on emerging trends, e-commerce, entrepreneurship, business and of course tech. Definitely not. We Got Funded: Sprii Raises US$8.5 Million in A Series A Round A letter to suppliers revealed the news that the company was going into liquidation. Which is where the Mini Exchange story really begins, and to a point, where Sarah the CEO figure emerges. We have a lot of very exciting developments that are going to be launched in the next six months”. It was founded in 2015 by British entrepreneur Sarah Jones who previously worked … Sarah Jones, Founder & CEO, Sprii: Fundraising is a full-time job. Are you a believer that malls will eventually be extinct? Sprii is an online marketplace which connects mums to global brands. Be passionate. Sprii.com CEO Sarah Jones The marketplace now features more than 850 brands and 44,000 products Have you ever shopped online, say from eBay, to sell it online, on eBay itself - for a profit? ‘A true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer’. Sarah Jones, CEO, Sprii; Elie El Tom, CEO, YallaPickUp “With ecommerce sales hitting an all time high and the future looking replete with even better opportunities, this is perhaps the most exciting time for the regional ecommerce industry. At Deloitte I came across a number of businesses in the e-commerce space and found that in the “mums” vertical there were limited options and a lack of availability of international products in the Middle East market. Be focused. Be tenacious. Get Extra 10% Off on Kids Fashion, Strollers, Baby Gear, Toys, Diapers & More in UAE & KSA. How challenging is it to raise funds in the region? What are the biggest challenges you face? I much prefer fun pursuits like paddle tennis and wakeboarding than fitness classes to be honest. #17 – Sprii. Sprii chief Sarah Jones is living proof of this. CEO & Founder, Spriii . This excitement has carried through to today. Sprii has been at the forefront of catering to everything for mothers.The Company pioneered the idea of providing everything for mothers. Sarah Jones | Sprii. Sarah Jones, CEO The Founder & CEO of Sprii is recognised as one of the best leaders and business development executives in the Middle East e-commerce space. Latest Sprii Coupons, Promo Codes & Offers. The tagline of the online store, ‘Everything for Mums’ expresses the business objective of Sprii quite clearly. What more needs to be done in the UAE start-up space to support SMEs? Be focused. A natural extension for the online portal, a brand refresh followed in early 2017 to establish this as the core proposition of the business, focusing on top categories and products required by the modern mummy. For me, it wasn’t about making money, it was about “doing business” and from a very young age I loved the thrill of buying and selling and eBay gave me the platform to start. Founded in 2014 by Sarah Jones, Sprii has grown to become the go-to destination for expectant parents in Dubai and the Middle East. Interview for RAKBANK with Sarah Jones, Founder of Sprii.com, from the series SHE MEANS BUSINESS! Sprii’s founder and CEO Sarah Jones wrote a letter to stakeholders informing them about the decision. Entrepreneur Sarah Jones, of Sprii.com, says the experience gave her a sense of independence she never wanted to give up. Be tenacious. It’s not on the cards right now, but never say never. E-commerce platform Sprii.com has raised a further $8.5 million in funding, as it accelerates its expansion across the Middle East and invests in new technology and recruitment to further enhance their customers’ experience. Sprii has hired Guy Wall of Grant Thornton as liquidator. Don’t settle for less than what you want. Overview; E-commerce market is a growing opportunity. Sarah Jones. Bitten by the bug at just 14, Sarah set up a profitable eBay business importing items from across the globe and selling in the UK, igniting a love for e-commerce and developing an acute business mind in the process. MY FAVOURITE WORKOUT. It does not manage inventories directly, instead the site connects directly to partner inventory and provides customer support. Sprii was founded in 2014 by entrepreneur, Sarah Jones. Sarah Jones set up the online exchange platform for parents, Sprii.com, in 2014. This specialty e-commerce marketplace is the brainchild of Sarah Jones. Awards & Accolades for Sprii.com and Sarah Jones Small Business CEO of the Year Award, a listing in Arabian Business’s 50 Most Influential Brits in the UAE, the E-Commerce Enterprise Agility Award and was selected for Google’s prestigious BlackBox accelerator program in Silicon Valley in 2015. More and more consumers are going online to compare prices as well as having the convenience of items being delivered. We’ve been incredibly fortunate to raise substantial sums from both here and Europe. We’re scaling quickly across all GCC markets, localising our product and tailoring our user experience to the local customer rather than expecting one product to resonate with all nationalities. Four years later, an economics degree at Edinburgh University heightened Jones’s financial acumen and competitive nature. Photo: courtesy of Sarah Jones. At Sprii we’ve launched the widest offering in this vertical at competitive prices and an incredible customer service team who go above and beyond. © 2021 ITP Media Group. Four years later, a degree in Economics at Edinburgh University beckoned, which not only heightened Sarah’s financial acumen, but also her highly competitive nature! Bitten by the bug at just 14, Sarah set up a profitable eBay business importing items from across the globe and selling in the UK, igniting a love for eCommerce and developing an acute business mind in the process. When Sprii launched a few years ago, the landscape for SMEs was very different to what it is today. Have you found it to be more difficult being a female entrepreneur? Trying to run a business, and a business that’s growing fast, at the same time as raising funds - that’s a challenge for any entrepreneur. Focusing on customer experience through the use of technology has been key in scaling as quickly as we have done. Early life and education Sprii is an online shopping destination in the Middle East for Mums. Founded by Sarah Jones in 2014, Sprii.com is an award-winning online shopping destination in the GCC providing ‘Everything for Mums’. The sole founder of Sprii, Sarah has persevered to help the ecommerce platform … It’s also a challenge for the malls to maintain the prices that the online world can deliver with their heavy rents and, in a vertical like ours where mums are stretched for time, online is going to be a game-changer as it’s never a fun experience dragging kids around the malls to scour out daily essentials. It’s an exciting time. However, over the last two to three years a lot has changed, and it’s become an incredibly supportive and collaborative country to scale a business. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug at just 14, Jones set up an eBay business importing items from across the globe and selling them in the UK, igniting a love for e-commerce. There was, and still is, a real need in this region, definitely. She started the online store in the year 2014 with the aim of making Sprii a go-to … Sprii’s founder and CEO Sarah Jones wrote a letter earlier today to different stakeholders informing them about the decision. ... which will allow us to continue to deliver on our promise to our loyal customers.” said Sprii founder, Sarah Jones. June 21, 2018. Founded in 2015 by Sarah Jones, UAE’s Sprii offers a wide selection of everything a parent might need, including clothing, accessories, toys and appliances. Sarah Jones, CEO of Sprii, an e-commerce platform designed for mothers, said: “During the lockdown, we saw a lot of shopping spikes come between 7 p.m. and 12 … Anyone that tells you otherwise, probably isn’t telling the truth! These kinds of activities also clear my mind. “A true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer”. I think that the proposed changes to visa rules, and potentially to company formation costs, will continue to help. We have also more than quadrupled our technology team in the last three months, so we have a lot of very exciting developments that are going to be launched in the next six months, such as same-day delivery. Dubai-based Sprii.com raises $8.5m in latest funding round. Sprii UAE, one of the biggest online shopping platforms “offering everything for mums in Dubai and the Middle East” has been placed in liquidation.The company, which was founded in 2014 by CEO Sarah Jones and is based in Mazaya Business Avenue in Jumeirah Lake Towers, started with just two employees around a kitchen table, and grew into a multi-million dollar business with a team of … Checkout Barakatalan for Additional Sprii Discount Codes, Voucher Codes, and Deals. A placement at Deloitte London followed, which led to a secondment in the Middle East a few years later. Bitten by the entrepreneurial bug at just 14, Jones set up an eBay business importing items from across the globe and selling them in the UK, igniting a love for e-commerce. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Bitten by the bug at just 14, Sarah set up a profitable eBay business importing items from across the globe and selling in the UK, igniting a love for e-commerce and developing an acute business mind in … The product mix that mums are searching for on a daily basis is almost unlimited. Sarah Jones – Sprii ‘A true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer’. Sarah Jones, Founder of Sprii.com. Bitten by the bug at just 14, Sarah set up a profitable eBay business importing items from across the globe and selling in the UK, igniting a love for e-commerce and developing an acute business mind in the process. If you are passionate and are prepared to work incredibly hard, then that earns the respect of everyone you interact with; be it a potential business investor or your colleagues and peers. Introducing Sprii.com- the shopping hub loved and trusted by mums in the Middle East. Spotting a gap in the market on arrival, Sarah secured funding for Mini Exchange in a matter of months, growing from an exchange platform for parents to a hugely successful e-commerce venture in just two years. Sprii is an online marketplace which connects mums to their favourite global brands. Her placement at Deloitte London in the retail M&A team led to an international secondment in the Middle East just a few years later. Prior to Sprii, I was working in mergers and acquisitions – I was always working for other people, advising inspiring entrepreneurs on how to grow and sell their companies, but when they left I always had a sense of envy. About Sarah Jones ‘A true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer’. Sprii UAE, one of the biggest online shopping platforms “offering everything for mums in Dubai and the Middle East” has been placed in liquidation. Sarah Jones was in her mid-twenties when she set up Sprii, an e-commerce platform that retails everything for moms. The founder of e-commerce site for mums recalls how the business bug caught her at a young age. Don’t settle for anything less than what you want”. However, businesses need to understand this market in-depth to be able to cater to it. “The first six months of 2019 have exceeded our expectations,” said Sarah Jones, founder of Sprii. ... all ongoing trading of the business will cease until this assessment is completed,” read a letter by founder and CEO Sarah Jones. 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