The H&M Group has acquired a stake in its technology supplier for e-commerce and omnichannel processes, Centra. H&M Ventures invested the equivalent of 4.3 million Euros to secure a strategic stake in the technology company – though it remains below ten per cent.
The fast-fashion retailer already uses Centra’s solutions to run the online-shops of some of its banner operations, among them Cos, `& Other Stories´ and Weekday. H&M intends to further expand the use of the platform within the group. The strategic investment is intended to deepen the existing technology partnership with Centra and give the fashion group greater control over critical parts of its direct-to-consumer infrastructure.
In 2024, the H&M Group has already integrated several of its banner operations on Centra’s platform. The headless commerce architecture makes it possible to operate the online shops of different labels from a single backend. This allows shopping experiences to be centrally controlled across channels in different online shops.
Centra remains independent
With this investment, the H&M Group aims to be more than just a customer – it wants to play an active role in shaping the technological foundation of its online business. Centra’s API-based infrastructure enables fast integration of external systems such as payment, logistics and CRM, providing the basis for a future-proof omnichannel strategy that allows for cross-channel growth.
Centra intends to use the capital to further develop its platform. The company also plans to accelerate its international expansion, especially in Europe and North America. CEO and Co-Founder Martin Jensen emphasises that, despite H&M’s investment, Centra will remain an independent company that is open to new brands and retail customers.
Centra’s success with Craft Sportswear
Centra’s customers include numerous Scandinavian textile retailers such as Holzweiler, Our Legacy and Björn Borg. Craft Sportswear has also introduced Centra. The Swedish company had been active in e-commerce for many years with a decentralised system infrastructure – using different platforms such as Shopify Plus, Magento and EpiServer. The Swedish company had been active in e-commerce for many years with a decentralised system infrastructure – using different platforms such as Shopify Plus, Magento and EpiServer. This structure proved increasingly inefficient and difficult to scale.
As part of a comprehensive digitalisation strategy, Craft Sportswear merged its international e-commerce activities onto Centra’s platform. The headless commerce architecture enabled Craft Sportswear to operate global online shops centrally while customising them locally – for example, in terms of product range, language, currency and checkout processes. According to Centra, the new platform structure quickly led to significant efficiency gains for the sportswear specialist and an increase in both website traffic and online sales of over 100 per cent.
