Swappie Oy
Straight from Helsinki: iPhone-refurbisher and Europe’s fastest growing company 2022 Swappie Oy expands global presence with establishing Swappie Germany GmbH in Leipzig.
Shortly after being awarded as Europe’s fastest growing company by the Financial Times, the Finnish company Swappie Oy chose Leipzig to be its Central-European logistics hub. This strategic decision marks a significant milestone in Swappie's European expansion strategy.
Swappie, Europe’s largest iPhone refurbisher, is the go-to online location to sell old iPhones and to buy refurbished ones, driving the circular economy with its business model. Being headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, the company has further sites in Estonia, the Netherlands, Belgium and now Germany, too. “Several countries were under consideration for our European logistics center. The choice of Germany and Leipzig was due to its geographical advantages and existing infrastructure. Our decision reflects our commitment to Germany. Since its launch in 2020, Swappie.de has achieved tremendous success in the German market. Germany has now become one of our highest revenue-generating markets.”, explains Sami Marttinen, Co-Founder and CEO. The company is warmly welcomed by the city, Clemens Schülke, the City’s Mayor for Economics, Labour and Digital Affairs said: “I am pleased that young and progressive companies as Swappie choose Leipzig to open a new site. Also, I highly appreciate the company’s business that contributes to a sustainable circular economy and can be exemplary for other firms - Welcome Swappie!”
From the beginning, the site selection process was supported by the national and regional agencies for economic development: Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), Saxony Trade & Invest (WFS) and Invest Region Leipzig (IRL) – hand in hand they found the most suitable location for Swappie and provided comprehensive insights and support to ease the company’s ramp-up in Germany. Thomas Horn, Managing Director of Saxony Trade & Invest said: "With Swappie Oy from Finland, another international company has chosen Saxony for a location. In close cooperation with the IRL, we supported the site selection process in the Free State of Saxony and were also able to provide extensive assistance with funding programmes. With this decision, Saxony once again proves that the region, with its geographical location and the excellent logistics around Leipzig/Halle Airport, is an optimal place to do business throughout Europe. In addition, the project is also an example of the successful cooperation with GTAI at federal and IRL at regional level. For Saxony as a location, the Finnish refurb specialist is an attractive partner and player in the circular economy. The latter aims to reconcile economic growth and environmental protection and is continuously being expanded in the region. As part of the sector activities of WFS, we will continue to support the company in networking with other companies, institutes and the innovation cluster "CIRCULAR SAXONY". Michael Körner, Managing Director of Invest Region Leipzig, adds: “We enjoyed supporting Swappie in its highly streamlined expansion process. Swappie made a good decision choosing Leipzig as a new logistics hub. The multimodal infrastructure enables the company to fulfill frequent and reliable delivery, moreover, since Leipzig is the birthplace of several renowned e-commerce players, Swappie is in good company here.”
About Swappie:
Swappie is the leading end-to end platform for refurbished smartphones, having circularity at the core of its business model to reduce e-waste and keep the world running sustainably. Since its start in 2016 the company has grown to more than 1,000 employees and operates in 15 markets in Europe. The company’s refurbishment centres are in Helsinki and Estonia. Swappie controls the entire supply chain, managing the entire process, from testing and repairing used handsets that were traded in, to selling the refurbished devices direct to consumers, ensuring high quality and reliability by providing warranty for the iPhones.
About Invest Region Leipzig GmbH:
Invest Region Leipzig GmbH is the investment promotion agency for the Leipzig region in Germany. It serves as a central point of contact and support for national and international companies looking to invest or expand their business in the Leipzig Region.