Grove Collaborative

Grove Collaborative is a U.S. e-commerce company focused on household, cleaning, personal-care, and related consumer products positioned around environmental considerations. The company operates its own Grove Co. product brand while also merchandising products made by other companies. Its business has historically combined online retail, recurring or subscription-oriented purchasing, and selected wholesale and brick-and-mortar distribution. The business was founded in 2012 as ePantry by Stuart Landesberg, Chris Clark, and Jordan Savage. It was renamed Grove in 2016 as the company developed a broader identity centered on curated sustainable household shopping rather than a narrower pantry concept. Grove’s assortment has included cleaning products, home essentials, personal-care goods, and other everyday consumables, with the company presenting itself as a more convenient channel for consumers seeking products with environmental attributes. Grove expanded beyond direct online sales through retail partnerships. In April 2021, it began a nationwide brick-and-mortar relationship with Target, which carried selected Grove products. In July 2022, Grove Co. cleaning products also became available through Kohl’s, Meijer, and Giant Eagle. These relationships broadened physical availability but also placed the company in competition with established consumer-goods suppliers and retailers with larger distribution networks. The company experienced a major corporate-finance transition in 2021 and 2022. In December 2021, Grove entered into a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company backed by Virgin Group. The transaction was associated with approximately $436 million in capital raised, including a private investment in public equity and funds held in the SPAC trust. The transaction resulted in Grove becoming a publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker GROV in June 2022, at a reported valuation of approximately $1.5 billion at the time of the public-market combination. Paul Polman, the former Unilever chief executive, was named a partner in the venture, while founder Stuart Landesberg continued to lead the company during the transition. Following the merger, Grove reduced its workforce by 17% as part of an effort to lower operating costs. The company also changed senior leadership: Sergio Cervantes, a former Unilever and Gillette executive, became chief financial officer in early 2022; John Replogle, formerly associated with Burt’s Bees, became board chairman in February 2022; and Jeff Yurcisin became chief executive officer in August 2023. Landesberg moved from chief executive to executive chairman, while Replogle became lead independent director. Grove has also used public-facing brand and sustainability positioning to build awareness. Actress and entrepreneur Drew Barrymore invested in the company in April 2022 and became its first global brand and sustainability advocate. Grove was recognized by Fast Company as one of its most innovative companies in 2022. At the same time, the company faced evidence of operating pressure: revenue in the first quarter of 2022 declined 11% from the comparable period in 2021, according to the referenced account. Grove’s current identity is therefore shaped by three connected activities: direct-to-consumer online commerce, development and sale of Grove Co. branded products, and distribution of selected products through retail partners. Its differentiation rests on sustainability-oriented merchandising and product design, but its public-company phase has also required attention to growth, cash use, distribution economics, and operating efficiency.

Grove Collaborative began in 2012 under the name ePantry, founded by Stuart Landesberg, Chris Clark, and Jordan Savage. The original business was built around online access to household products, with an emphasis that later developed into a broader sustainability-oriented retail proposition. In 2016, the company adopted the Grove name, reflecting its expanded focus on environmentally oriented home and personal-care products. The company’s model combined a direct-to-consumer website with recurring purchasing and a curated assortment of products from both Grove’s own brand and outside manufacturers. Its proprietary products were later marketed under the Grove Co. name. The assortment centered on everyday categories such as cleaning, laundry, home care, and personal care. This structure allowed Grove to present itself not only as a retailer but also as a consumer-products developer with control over selected products and packaging. During 2021, Grove broadened its physical distribution. In April, it began a retail partnership with Target, giving selected products access to a nationwide brick-and-mortar retailer. The company also hired Jennie Perry, a former Amazon executive, as chief marketing officer. These developments occurred as Grove was preparing for a major change in ownership and public-market status. In December 2021, Grove combined with a special-purpose acquisition company backed by Virgin Group. The transaction involved substantial capital formation, including a private investment in public equity and funds from the SPAC trust. Paul Polman, formerly chief executive of Unilever, was named a partner in the venture, while founder Stuart Landesberg continued as CEO during the transition. Grove became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in June 2022 under the ticker GROV. The transaction was reported at a valuation of approximately $1.5 billion. The public-company transition was accompanied by pressure to control costs. Grove reduced its workforce by 17% soon after the merger. The company also changed key governance and finance roles. Sergio Cervantes, who had spent 18 years at Unilever and four years at Gillette, became CFO in early 2022. In February 2022, former Burt’s Bees executive John Replogle became board chairman. In April, Drew Barrymore invested in Grove and became its first global brand and sustainability advocate. Fast Company later included Grove among its most innovative companies for 2022. Grove continued expanding retail availability in July 2022, when Kohl’s, Meijer, and Giant Eagle began carrying products from the Grove Co. cleaning line. The company’s retail expansion occurred alongside weaker near-term performance: first-quarter 2022 revenue was reported as 11% below the comparable first quarter of 2021. This combination of distribution expansion and operating pressure characterized Grove’s early period as a public company. In August 2023, Jeff Yurcisin became CEO. Landesberg transitioned to executive chairman of the board, and Replogle became lead independent director. Grove’s documented development thus moved from a privately founded online retailer to a public benefit corporation with a proprietary consumer-products brand, third-party marketplace assortment, subscription-oriented commerce, celebrity-supported brand promotion, and selected national retail partnerships.

• 2023

  Jeff Yurcisin appointed CEO

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  Jeff Yurcisin became CEO, with Landesberg moving to executive chairman and Replogle becoming lead independent director.

• 2022

  Public listing on the New York Stock Exchange

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  The transaction resulted in Grove becoming publicly traded under the ticker GROV.

• 2022

  Expansion into additional retail chains

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  Kohl’s, Meijer, and Giant Eagle began carrying products from the Grove Co. cleaning line.

• 2021

  Target partnership begins

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  Grove entered a brick-and-mortar partnership with Target to distribute selected products.

• 2021

  Virgin Group-backed SPAC transaction

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  Grove entered a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company backed by Virgin Group and raised capital in connection with the transaction.

• 2016

  Rebranded as Grove

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  The company changed its name from ePantry to Grove as it broadened its sustainable household and personal-care proposition.

• 2012

  Company founded as ePantry

  [1]Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org

  Stuart Landesberg, Chris Clark, and Jordan Savage founded the business under the name ePantry.

A sustainability-oriented online retailer and consumer-products brand combining curated household shopping with proprietary Grove Co. products and selected third-party brands.

• Household cleaning

  Grove Co. cleaning products

  Grove Co. is Grove Collaborative’s proprietary consumer-products brand. Its cleaning range has been distributed through Grove’s online channels and, beginning in 2022, through retailers including Kohl’s, Meijer, and Giant Eagle. The line forms a central part of Grove’s sustainability-oriented positioning and extends the company beyond third-party retailing.

• Home care

  Household essentials

  Grove’s household assortment includes everyday home-care products sold through its online marketplace. The category supports the company’s recurring-shopping model and brings together Grove Co. products with goods from other manufacturers. Specific current assortment details are not established in the supplied reference material.

• Personal care

  Personal-care products

  Personal-care products are part of Grove Collaborative’s broader environmentally oriented assortment. They are sold alongside household and cleaning products through the company’s online platform, with the business emphasizing convenient access to products selected for sustainability-related attributes.

• 2022Drew Barrymore global brand and sustainability advocacy

  United States

  Drew Barrymore invested in Grove Collaborative and became its first global brand and sustainability advocate, linking the company’s consumer-facing identity with a prominent public figure.

  Outcome. The supplied reference confirms the appointment but does not provide measured campaign results.

  Source

• 2022

  Workforce reduction to reduce operating costsStrategy

  Background

  The reduction followed the Virgin-backed merger and the company’s transition into the public markets.

  Action taken

  Grove laid off 17% of its workforce.

  Aftermath

  The supplied material identifies the cost-reduction objective but does not provide further employment or profitability results.

  Source

• 2022

  Expansion of physical retail distributionStrategy

  Background

  Grove sought to supplement direct online sales with broader consumer access to its proprietary cleaning products.

  Action taken

  The Grove Co. cleaning line entered Kohl’s, Meijer, and Giant Eagle.

  Aftermath

  The expansion increased the brand’s physical retail presence, although the supplied material does not quantify its effect on sales.

  Source

• 2021

  Decision to merge with a Virgin Group-backed SPACM&A

  Background

  Grove sought a major capital event and a route to the public markets while continuing to develop its direct-to-consumer and proprietary-brand businesses.

  Action taken

  Grove entered into a merger with a special-purpose acquisition company backed by Virgin Group.

  Aftermath

  The transaction brought additional capital, preceded Grove’s June 2022 NYSE listing, and was followed by a workforce reduction intended to lower operating costs.

  Capital raised in connection with the transaction. Approximately $436 million (End of 2021)

  Source

• 2016

  Rebranding from ePantry to GroveStrategy

  Background

  The company had broadened beyond the narrower ePantry identity and was developing a wider sustainable home and personal-care proposition.

  Action taken

  It adopted the Grove name and built its identity around environmentally oriented household commerce.

  Aftermath

  The Grove identity became the basis for the company’s online retail business and Grove Co. proprietary product brand.

  Source

1. 1Grove Collaborativeen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Grove Collaborative official websitegrove.co