Online garden retailer set for national growth with new Crowdcube fundraise

A London-based business has launched a new crowdfunding campaign in a bid to become the UK’s leading online garden retailer.

The Stem has announced the launch of a new fundraising campaign on equity platform Crowdcube.

The firm is aiming to raise a minimum of £150k in order to drive growth and capitalise on the opportunity to gain a strong foothold in the £7.5bn UK garden retail market.

Based in London, The Stem offers a range of indoor plants available to purchase on its website, as well as specialist delivery.

Since the start of the pandemic, the firm has seen its compound monthly revenue grow by 34 per cent, hitting over £80k in revenue last month.

The capital raised from the crowdfund will be used to expand The Stem’s delivery area, develop the operations team, move to a larger warehouse and build the electric vehicle fleet, as well as growing the firm’s marketing and product teams and investing in content and website developments.

James Folger, founder and CEO of The Stem, commented: “I started The Stem after battling with mental health challenges whilst working in the city and finding my sanctuary in nature.

“I wanted to build a platform that helped others find their own connection with nature through plants and gardening. We want to make gardening more accessible than ever before and in the most sustainable way possible.

“Our vision is to be the UK’s leading online garden retailer and we are incredibly excited to give our community the opportunity to join us on our mission to share plant happiness.”