Multi-brand American apparel group scales across international markets – live in seven weeks
NEW YORK , July 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ESW, the international growth engine for ambitious brands, today announced a partnership with KnitWell Group, the multi-brand retail operating company behind iconic American apparel brands Ann Taylor, Chico’s, Haven Well Within, Lane Bryant, LOFT, Soma, Talbots and White House Black Market.
KnitWell Group operates one of America’s most recognised apparel portfolios. As the Group moved to grow its international ecommerce presence, the complexity of managing cross-border operations – pricing, payments, duties, compliance, fraud and logistics – across eight distinct brands created a challenge that required more than standard infrastructure could absorb.
KnitWell selected ESW as Merchant of Record for its international ecommerce business, choosing a partner that could absorb that operational complexity without adding burden to the teams responsible for brand and customer experience. The transition from onboarding to first go-live was completed in just over seven weeks, with minimal disruption to customers during the changeover.
ESW now manages cross-border pricing, payments, duties, taxes, regulatory compliance, fraud and global logistics across KnitWell’s international markets, integrated around each brand’s identity and experience. Initial phases include improved duties handling and product classification, with localisation testing and customer experience reviews to follow.
Bruce Neal, Senior Vice President, Enterprise Operations at KnitWell Group, said: “Access to our brands internationally from an ecommerce perspective is an important component of our growth strategy. We wanted a partner that could support that without adding complexity for our teams and, most importantly, our customers. ESW has shown us their ability to deliver on time with transparency and a model that we believe will hold up as markets evolve.”
Eric Eichmann, Chief Executive Officer at ESW, said: “KnitWell brings together a portfolio of brands that have earned deep trust with their customers over time. Our role is to absorb the operational complexity of international ecommerce – duties, compliance, payments, logistics – so their teams can focus on growth and the brand experience their customers expect. Seven weeks from onboarding to go-live is a strong foundation. We’re here for what comes next.”
About ESW
ESW is the international growth engine for ambitious brands. We absorb the complexity of cross-border commerce – payments, compliance, duties, localisation, shipping and returns – so brands can grow globally with confidence. Our enterprise-grade platform is built for scale but configurable for the world’s most complex brands. We architect end-to-end international operations across 200+ markets that fit each brand’s exact needs, removing the operational and compliance risk that stands between ambition and growth. With offices in New York, Dublin, Madrid and Singapore, ESW partners with the world’s premier brands. ESW is the only international commerce solution that is MACH certified.
Media contact:
Conor Sheridan
conor.sheridan@edelman.com
+353 86 031 0800
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SOURCE ESW
