1stdibs, the world’s premiere online market place for luxury goods, has announced plans to create a team of IT programmers in Lithuania. The initial team of 6 Java-script developers will help the company develop its online portal. And there is potential for further growth, with plans in place to expand the Vilnius team to 20 IT specialists by the end of 2016.
With more than 1,2 million registered users, and 3 million shoppers visiting the site each month, 1stdibs has become the leading internet platform for collectors, interior designers, and connoisseurs of antique furniture, design, fine art and collectibles. Founded in France in 2001, its initial objective was to move the legendary Paris flea market, Marché Aux Puces,into the virtual space. And since its inception, the company has witnessed impressive growth. In 2014 the value of goods sold via 1stdibs.com amounted to over a billion US dollars, an increase of over 20% compared to 2013.
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As a result of this rapid expansion, the 1stdibs’ team has grown from 30 to 170 employees in the last 3 years. Most of the team is based in the company’s New York office, but they have been on the lookout for locations for another office for some time.
According to Ross Paul, Chief Technology Officer of 1stdibs, the company started looking into Vilnius as a possible location on the suggestion of Gedas Monginas, a Lithuanian IT programmer who was working in the New York office. “We were already familiar with the potential Lithuania has to offer through Gedas, who was working in the 1stdibs’ office in New York. When he said he wanted to go back to Lithuania, we looked at the opportunities for 1stdibs there. Lithuania has a wealth of talented IT specialists. And in Gedas, we have a professional who is well versed in programming and the business specifics of 1stdibs. For us, it represented an ideal opportunity.”
Mr Monginas, who returned to Lithuania after working in 1stdibs’ New York office for four years, explained that after the initial team of six has been built, the plan is to expand to 20 JavaScript programmers the following year. “It’s worth bearing in mind the fact that 1stdibs is growing pretty rapidly, so there is lots of potential for further growth in the future. Personally, I have no doubt that the office in Lithuania will be very successful.”
Increasingly, international companies are hearing about Lithuania through employees like Mr Monginas, according to Mantas Katinas, director general of the foreign investment development agency Invest Lithuania. “We are not just seeing skilled professionals returning to Lithuania from abroad; they are bringing top international employees with them. These investors provide excellent opportunities for the country’s highly-skilled professionals. Their presence also demonstrates that Lithuania has the business environment and the talent to attract dynamic, rapidly growing international companies like 1stdibs.”
One distinctive feature of 1stdibs that the Lithuanian team will benefit from is the first class working conditions it offers. The New York office provides its staff with unlimited vacation and weekly corporate lunches. According to Mr. Monginas, the company aims to offer similar incentives for the team in Lithuania as well.
