Catch Group expands into New Zealand with Catch of the Day

Ecommerce company Catch Group continues to push ahead with its geographic and product expansion, today launching its Catch of the Day platform in New Zealand.

Coming just a few weeks after the launch of Catch Connect, a mobile service offering developed in partnership with Optus, the company said the move into New Zealand is just the start of its broader growth strategy as it looks to expand into southeast Asia.

Nati Harpaz, CEO of Catch Group, said expanding across the ditch is a “logical extension” for the company.

“We already have a good customer base through our online store on TradeMe and now, we look forward to offering New Zealand customers a richer shopping experience with a dedicated online store offering the amazing deals Catch is known for, coupled with fast shipping and a huge catalogue of products,” he said.

The company already has links to New Zealand beyond TradeMe, having last year acquired the intellectual property of New Zealand-founded childrenswear brand Pumpkin Patch and recently relauching it online.

Founded by Sally Synnott in New Zealand in 1990, Pumpkin Patch was placed in voluntary administration before going into receivership in October 2016, owing over $56 million to its lender ANZ. The company went into liquidation last March

In buying the company’s IP, Harpaz said Pumpkin Patch had had its challenges, both on a business and product level, but “the love for the brand and its brand equity is still very significant”.

The acquisition was part of a wider effort by Catch Group to “reposition itself towards a higher value customer” by bringing on more premium brands to be either be retailed as stand-alone online stores, or sold across its portfolio of online shopping sites.

To further this effort, Catch Group rebranded its flagship marketplace Catch of the Day last June to Catch, with cofounder Gabby Leibovich saying at the time it was a natural move for the company as it expanded its product range and moved beyond its original role as a daily deals marketplace. The company had also flagged its intentions to expand into New Zealand at this time.

Meanwhile, the new Catch Connect offering allows customers to choose between prepaid 30 and 90 day mobile plans, and 30 day data plans, with a launch promotion seeing users on selected plans receive shopping vouchers to put towards buys on Catch.com.au.

Image: Gabby Leibovich and Nati Harpaz. Source: Supplied.