The rapidly-growing UK-based home and garden online retailer WorldStores has raised £10m to help its future expansion.
The backing, from Serena Capital, Balderton Capital and Advent Venture Partners, will allow the company to grow both its supplier network and product offer, and brings WorldStores' total funding to £21m.

Set up in 2007, WorldStores currently sells across a wide range of categories, including bathroom suites, doors, stoves, wallpaper and ladders in home improvement to garden furniture, barbecues, garden machinery, lighting and heating in gardening. The offer also covers bedroom, furniture, homewares and children.

The company says it has in excess of 500,000 lines and stocks over 15 times more products than its chief rivals, the choice attracting more than 200,000 new customers in the past year. Eight hundred of WorldStores' suppliers are linked directly into its technology platform, which allows it to offer next-day or day-of-choice delivery on 80% of its offer.

Sales at the company rose by 50% over the past 12 months, and it is now looking to achieve a £75m turnover in the UK this year.

Commenting on the new investment, managing partner of Serena Capital Marc Fournier said: "We're most impressed with the company's accomplishments and its ability to become a national UK leader in such a short period of time. We look forward to supporting the management and the company in these exciting times of fast growth.

"Serena Capital will participate in making WorldStores a unique online retail leader for the home through the depth and quality of its products and through the excellence of its customer experience."

Co-CEO of WorldStores Richard Tucker said the retailer would "continue to invest in the development of the business and our brand, now supported by television advertising".