From boutique to global brand: The Calla Shoes growth story

Answering her own prayers

The business was the brainchild of the company’s owner, Jennifer Bailey, who had, herself, suffered for over 20 years and was constantly frustrated by the lack of choice and style in existing footwear options: “As bunions are a common condition for women of all ages, I saw a perfect opportunity to solve my own footwear problem, help other women in the same predicament and launch a business with a unique market positioning, all at the same time.” In 2016, she launched Calla to fill this gap, offering elegant shoes designed specifically for women with bunions. Since then, Calla has grown into a global brand, serving customers in over 40 countries.

A partnership built on precision and care

In 2018, Jennifer partnered with fulfilmentcrowd to enhance Calla’s operations. Our ‘white glove’ service ensures each pair of shoes is handled with the utmost care, maintaining the premium experience Calla’s customers expect. This partnership allowed Jennifer to focus on product development and business growth, knowing that fulfilment was in expert hands.

Streamlining operations for global expansion

Successfully going live from fulfilmentcrowd's Lancashire-based centre, Matrix Park, Calla now outsource both fulfillment and delivery across the EU and recently begun moving into the US. Providing a ‘white glove’ service, fulfilmentcrowd store Calla’s products in a sterile, secure environment, handling each item with the utmost care to ensure they arrive with the purchaser in immaculate condition. Affording a well-earned rest from manually handling operations, the integrated technology available with fulfilmentcrowd also means that Jennifer can free up the time she needs to focus on core commercial activities and business development. The availability of valuable, real time data allows Jennifer to assess intelligent forecast purchasing recommendations and track her buying patterns.

As Calla expanded into new markets, fulfilmentcrowd provided the infrastructure to support this growth - Here's what we've done recently:  

• US Market Entry: In April 2024, we facilitated the relocation of stock to our Richmond, US centre, reducing shipping costs and transit times. 

• US Returns Management: We implemented a new grading process for returns, allowing Calla to resell items not in new condition, increasing order volume and reducing waste. 

• Canadian Market Optimisation: By integrating with Swap, we enabled a duty-paid option for Canadian customers, enhancing their shopping experience. 

“fulfilmentcrowd provides an ideal solution for fledgling businesses like Calla. As a niche, growing company, we are still able to access facilities, expertise and technologies that enable us to punch above our weight in the eCommerce marketplace.”  – Jennifer Bailey, Founder of Calla Shoes

Impressive growth metrics

Calla’s partnership with fulfilmentcrowd has yielded significant results: 

• Order Volume: Calla has grown monthly order volume by over 460% since 2018, hitting a record high in peak 2024. 

• CAGR: Achieved a 33.4% compound annual growth rate from 2018 to 2024. 

• SLA Performance: Maintained a 99.3% service level agreement over they years of the partnership.
  
  

Looking ahead

With plans to further expand into the EU and Canada, Calla Shoes continues to rely on fulfilmentcrowd’s expertise and infrastructure to support its growth. Our ongoing collaboration ensures that Calla can focus on what it does best - designing stylish, comfortable shoes - while we handle the logistics.  

“The team at fulfilmentcrowd is great – down-to-earth, practical and experienced in all thing's eCommerce. They have clearly refined fulfilment to an art form, and they will be an important part of my commercial strategy as I continue to develop Calla’s international sales and product ranges.” – Jennifer Bailey, Founder of Calla Shoes 

Nothing makes us prouder than seeing our customers succeed – and kind words like these give us that warm, fuzzy feeling inside. We’re thrilled to be part of Calla’s journey and can’t wait to keep supporting Jennifer as she grows the brand across new markets, launches new products, and continues to put comfort and confidence at the heart of every step. 

Looking for a strategic fulfilment partner to support your brand as it grows? Get in touch with the team today.