Online fashion platform Zalando has opened a research and development centre in Dublin, which will see 200 jobs created over the next three years.
The retailer, which serves 15 markets across Europe including the UK, France, Germany and Spain, is recruiting data scientists and software engineers for its fashion insights centre in Dublin’s Silicon Docks.
Speaking at the official launch of the centre, chief executive and founder Robert Gentz said the Dublin operation would play a major role as Zalando continued to expand in Europe.
“Understanding our customers, and gaining deep insights into their purchasing patterns and their behaviour online means we can provide them with a personalised and compelling offering,” said founder of Zalando Robert Gentz.
“Investing to understand these insights has driven our growth since the earliest days of our company and has been the key to our success.”
The company is seeking to fill the roles with candidates from the science, maths and engineering disciplines, as well as academia, for a variety of R&D focused data science and engineering roles. Recruitment is already underway and the investment in the centre is being supported by IDA Ireland.
"We're looking for the best engineers and data scientists in Dublin, Europe and the world, people who thrive on solving hard problems and delivering impact," said Eric Bowman, VP Engineering at Zalando. "We want independent thinkers, brilliant executioners, people who love a challenge, working on deep problems and working with the smartest people, while creating a great team culture."
The news was welcomed by the Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Joan Burton, who were both at the announcement of the Dublin centre.
“Ireland is establishing a reputation as the Internet capital of Europe and this is further strengthened by Zalando’s decision to locate here,” Mr Kenny said. “Thanks to our talented workforce, Dublin’s Silicon Docks is home to some of the biggest internet companies in the world.”
Established in 2008 by David Schneider and Robert Gentz and headquartered in Berlin, Zalando sells clothing, sports gear and shoes to almost 15 million active customers. The company, which offers a one-stop shop for men, women and children with more than 1,500 brands, has about 100 million visits every month. Last year, it recorded €2.2 billion in revenue.
