Sol Retail’s entrepreneurial journey began in Northampton with a simple idea: turning unused items into opportunity. Husband-andwife founders Barry and Katy Tong started by listing personal possessions on eBay, where that first £10 sale sparked a passion for online retail. By 2012, Sol Retail was fully established, selling health and beauty products through wholesale and distribution.

Today, Sol Retail has grown into an international ecommerce business, representing over 120 brands across 18 countries and processing more than 11 billion site hits monthly. With annual growth rates between 40% and 60%, Sol Retail has maintained complete financial independence, never borrowing or relying on external investment.

Scaling challenges and the need for change

As Sol Retail expanded, the team quickly recognized the need for greater visibility and efficiency. Managing inventory across multiple sales channels was becoming increasingly complex, with manual processes creating bottlenecks during peak trading periods. The company needed a solution that could handle their ambitious growth plans without requiring massive upfront investment or ongoing unpredictable costs. They were looking for a partner who understood the unique challenges of scaling an ecommerce operation while maintaining the agility and control that had driven their initial success.

Peak order volumes were putting strain on their existing systems, threatening their ability to deliver the customer experience their brand was built on. Without proper automation and real-time visibility, they risked inventory discrepancies, delayed shipments and the operational chaos that often derails growing businesses.

Partnership with Linnworks

In 2014, Sol Retail chose Linnworks as their operational backbone, implementing our comprehensive ecommerce automation platform to address their scaling challenges head-on.

Real-time inventory synchronization

Linnworks connected all of Sol Retail’s sales channels, providing instant inventory updates across every marketplace and platform. This eliminated overselling and stockouts while giving the team complete visibility into their operations.

Process automation

Critical workflows were automated, from order processing to shipping label generation. This freed up Sol Retail’s team to focus on strategic growth initiatives rather than manual administrative tasks.

Predictable cost structure

Our transparent pricing model gave Sol Retail the cost predictability they needed to plan and budget effectively, supporting their commitment to maintaining financial independence.

Scalable infrastructure

The platform grew with Sol Retail, handling increasing order volumes without requiring system overhauls or major operational disruptions.

Without Linnworks, we couldn’t have scaled the way we have. It sits at the center of our business. We learned every corner of the system and stuck with it.

-Barry Tong, CEO, Sol Retail

Achievements and looking ahead

Thanks to this integrated approach, Sol Retail now manages peak order volumes seamlessly and with greater accuracy. The shift away from disconnected, manual workflows has resulted in enhanced customer satisfaction, operational resilience and earned Sol Retail this year’s King’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade.

Looking forward, Sol Retail targets continued growth, setting ambitious growth targets well beyond previous milestones. Strategic plans include further automation, connecting to more marketplaces and supporting charitable programs to benefit local communities and fellow UK exporters.

Lessons from Sol Retail’s success

Sol Retail’s success demonstrates how the right operational foundation can transform a growing business. By choosing a scalable, cost-effective solution early in their journey, they avoided the operational bottlenecks that often limit ecommerce growth.

The partnership highlights the importance of real-time visibility and automation in managing complex multi-channel operations. When you can trust your systems to handle the operational complexity, you can focus on what truly drives business success: delivering exceptional customer experiences and exploring new growth opportunities.

For growing retailers, Sol Retail’s story shows that maintaining financial independence while scaling internationally isn’t just possible—it’s achievable with the right operational partner like Linnworks supporting your ambitions.

Linnworks has empowered us to handle the complexities of international trading while maintaining the high standards our customers expect. It’s given us the confidence and capability to keep scaling our operations globally.

-Barry Tong, CEO, Sol Retail