SHENZHEN, China, January 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --

Global product development and supply chain company PCH International is delighted to announce it has acquired ShopLocket, an innovative Toronto-based ecommerce platform. The acquisition offers hardware startups an entrepreneur-friendly marketplace to launch and sell their products. Together with PCH, this creates the world's first end-to-end service offering that helps startups to create, develop, manufacture and sell hardware products direct to consumers.  

PCH CEO and Founder Liam Casey commented on the announcement: "This acquisition puts us at the intersection of hardware and ecommerce, and allows us to authentically communicate with a tech-savvy community. The products will include wearable tech, connected devices and personalized gadgets. This is the future of creating, making and selling products for wearable tech and the Internet of Things. PCH and ShopLocket together are changing the face of global commerce for hardware makers and innovators."

ShopLocket is VC-backed and was founded in 2011 by Katherine Hague and Andrew Louis. The company has built up a loyal community of "early adopters" who are keen to purchase new hardware products before they become mainstream. The acquisition also enables PCH and its hardware startup clients to set up physical pop-up stores.

Liam continued: "We are very excited about the huge opportunities this opens for hardware startups. ShopLocket is a fantastic fit for PCH. We admire the entrepreneurial spirit of the founders Katherine Hague and Andrew Louis. They really understand the entrepreneur's journey and the challenges of making and selling hardware products."  

ShopLocket CEO and Founder Katherine Hague commented: "“It's rare to find another organization that shares your exact vision for the future of the industry. It's even rarer to find one that appreciates your work, recognizes your potential, and wants to give you the resources to make your vision a reality. We feel incredibly lucky to say that in PCH founder and CEO Liam Casey and the entire PCH team, we know we have found the perfect partners."

PCH runs two programs dedicated to hardware startups: an incubator program, Highway1, and PCH Accelerator for later stage startups.

About PCH http://www.pchintl.com

About Shoplocket http://www.shoplocket.com

SOURCE PCH International