Published
Jun 7, 2017
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The RealReal receives $50 million in funding, eyes physical stores

Published
Jun 7, 2017

The RealReal announced on Tuesday that is has closed a $50 million growth equity financing from private equity firm Great Hill Partners. The new financing brings The RealReal’s total funding to $173 million.
 

The RealReal


The luxury consignment company will use the new funding to expand its offices and retail concepts, as well as continue to scale its operations and category expertise. Founded in 2011, The RealReal has used its past funding to expand its domestic and international networks. The company is also expected to pay consignors nearly $300 million this year from the resale of their luxury items.
 
"Six years in, The RealReal continues to expand in exciting ways and this incremental capital will be instrumental in supporting the business and our continuous growth," said The RealReal CEO and Founder Julie Wainwright.

​In addition to the growth equity financing, The RealReal also announced that Michael Kumin, Managing Partner of Great Hill Partners, will join the Board of Directors.

The RealReal is expanding its retail footprint and garnering new custom rapidly. In an interview last month, Wainwright told TechCrunch that the firm is looking at opening a series of physical stores, starting first with a permanent store in New York. While the exact location was not disclosed, it should be open for business in late fall or early winter 2017 said the company.

The store would follow the company's already successful experimentation with offline, having launched a pop-up in New York's trendy Soho district in December last year. Trading for two weeks, the store generated $2 million revenue, and half the shoppers were new to the company, said Wainwright.

Some 80 percent of The RealReal’s shoppers are women, with men mostly buying watches and leather goods. The company is on track to record $500 million in sales through the platform alone this year.

The RealReal’s newest round comes after a $40 million Series E  round that the company closed last year, which was led by Greenspring Associates. 
 

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