Swanky Secures £7.6m Investment from YFM to Support Next Phase of Growth

We’re pleased to share that Swanky has secured a £7.6m investment from YFM Equity Partners.

This marks an important milestone for the business and reflects the strength of what has been built over the past 15 years – by our team, alongside our clients and partners. It also gives us the platform to move forward with even greater confidence.

Swanky has grown to become one of Europe’s leading Shopify Platinum Partners, working with ambitious retailers and brands across the UK, US, Australia and Europe. As Shopify continues to establish itself globally as the ecommerce platform of choice, demand for partners who can deliver at the highest level continues to increase. This investment is designed to further accelerate Swanky’s leadership in the market.

Why we’ve partnered with YFM

We have built Swanky very carefully over many years, with a clear focus on quality, long-term client relationships and developing a team that can operate at a high level. We are proud of the reputation we have built. We also know there is much more to do as the market continues to evolve.

This investment will enable us to continue scaling our strong foundation in a considered way. We will invest in our people, deepen our capabilities and continue to support our clients as their requirements become more complex and sophisticated. We will also strengthen our relationships across the Shopify ecosystem, and consider selective M&A opportunities to further enhance our proposition for clients.

We have an ambitious and exciting vision, and when we considered the next phase of Swanky’s journey, it was important to find the right growth partner to help us achieve this. YFM stood out as an organisation which shares that mindset. Critically, YFM understands the importance of backing the management team in place and supporting the existing direction of travel, rather than seeking to redefine it.

We are delighted that as part of this transaction, nearly 50 members of the Swanky team have become shareholders in our business. Moving forward, we have plans in place to ensure that everybody in our team receives equity ownership. We have brilliant people at Swanky, but together we are now even more incentivised to deliver exceptional outcomes for our clients and our business.

Together with YFM, we believe there is a significant opportunity in the UK market for a scaled Shopify ecosystem partner that can truly deliver at scale, combining deep platform expertise with the operational discipline required by larger, more complex organisations.

This partnership allows us to scale with confidence, while staying true to the principles and cultural values that have served us so well to date.

“What drew us to Swanky was the combination of deep platform expertise, a strong and growing client base, and an ambitious management team that has already done the hard work of building a scalable operation.

“As Shopify continues to gain ground with enterprise retailers, the demand for partners who can deliver at the highest level is only increasing. There are very few agencies in the UK capable of operating at that level today, and Swanky is well placed to continue building on the position it has established.”

Matt Gordon-Smith, Investment Director at YFM

Strengthening the Swanky leadership team

As part of this next phase, we have made a number of exciting additions to our senior leadership team.

Chris Hirst joins as Chair. Chris brings significant experience scaling creative and digital businesses, having previously served as Global CEO of Havas Creative Group and CEO of Grey London. He is also a published author, and his perspective on building high-performing organisations will be invaluable as we continue to grow.

Elly Adams joins as CFO. Elly spent over 20 years at PwC in London before becoming Group Finance Director at Oxygen House Group and CFO at Oxygen Conservation. She has deep financial and operational expertise, and will play a key role in supporting Swanky’s continued growth and development.

Amy Dougan has been promoted to COO. Amy has risen through the business and worked closely with many of our clients and team over the years. She has already driven significant operational improvements across Swanky, and her appointment reflects both her impact to date and the importance of operational excellence in our next phase.

The new Swanky Board. Top row, left to right: Chris Hirst (Chair), Elly Adams (CFO), Matt Giles (CCO), Amy Dougan (COO). Bottom row, left to right: Dan Partridge (CEO), Sophie Tainton (YFM).

Recognising Swanky’s Founder

This moment also marks an important transition for Swanky. After 15 years building the company, our founder, Dan McIvor, will no longer have day-to-day involvement in the business.

From starting Swanky in 2010 through to establishing it as one of the most respected Shopify partners in the market, Dan has played a defining role in shaping the business we are today. He leaves behind a strong and experienced leadership team, having successfully transitioned the business over recent years, and stepped away from full-time involvement in 2024.

On a personal note, I’m incredibly grateful to Dan. He appointed me as CEO and trusted me to lead Swanky through its next phase. His support, perspective and friendship over the past few years have meant a great deal to me, and to the wider team.

Dan remains a shareholder and a strong supporter of Swanky, and we are incredibly grateful for everything he has contributed. We wish him the very best in his future endeavours.

Thank you to our advisors

Before joining Swanky I worked as a corporate solicitor, guiding clients through transactions much like this one. It has been a privilege to participate in this transaction from the other side of the table.

My professional background has taught me the value of all the advisors involved in bringing a strategic partnership like this to fruition. It would therefore be remiss of me not to thank each of the expert advisors which have supported both Swanky and YFM over the last several months.

I’d like to extend my particular gratitude to Swanky’s advisors – notably Tristan Rice and the team at SI Global (Viet Pham, Russell Casey, Laura Denman), Harry Trick and the Michelmores team (Chris Cook, Cathy Bryant, Harry Jones), and our accountants Old Mill (Kathryn Mansell and Laura Seaward).

Ambitious plans & a shared journey

YFM’s investment in Swanky represents one of a very small number of institutional investments into a pure-play Shopify partner globally, and the first of its kind outside the US. This is a landmark moment for Swanky and indeed for the rapidly evolving Shopify ecosystem.

Ultimately, though, it is a reflection of the people behind the business. Our team of over 70 people have built Swanky into what it is today through their expertise, commitment and care for the work we deliver. Many have grown with the business over a number of years, and their contribution is what underpins our reputation in the market.

We are equally grateful to our clients, who trust us with some of their most important digital initiatives, and to our technology partners, who we collaborate with closely to deliver the best possible outcomes. This has always been a shared journey – and that will remain true as we move into the next phase.

We are excited about what comes next as we continue to build Swanky together.

Photography: Deborah Grace