// Hotter owner Unbound pauses activity on its online platform following a strategic review
// The group said it will focus on its core Hotter brand after it issued a profit warning earlier this year
Unbound Group will pause activity on its multi-brand ecommerce platform as it focuses on its core Hotter brand following tough trading results.
The group will hold all activity on the site, which launched last July, and will replace the homepage with a holding page within weeks, Drapers reported.
In a letter to its partner brands, Unbound said it was temporarily halting operations with existing brands and upcoming partners following a strategic review.
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“The pause will allow the team here to ascertain how best to fully leverage our existing Hotter customer base and 17 million visitors that we have each year,” the letter said.
“I appreciate this may be disappointing but we believe it to be the right decision at the time.”
The decision comes as the group’s shares plunged 41% in January following a profit warning.
The group said it expects a pre-tax loss in the region of £4.25m and £4.75m, blaming the extended summer heatwave, Royal Mail strikes in December and “broader economic conditions”.
Unbound said the platform was “still up and running” but the group had “paused live integrations for the time being”.
“As announced previously, the company is well advanced in conducting a wider review of the operating structure.”
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