# /case-studies/saalt  —  Saalt · Period Care
# https://o1.eu/case-studies/saalt
# Operator One — Merchant of Record for European marketplaces.

## Summary
A US period care brand went from unable to sell in Europe to five markets and eight storefronts, without a European company.

## Result
4 weeks — to the first three markets live

## At a glance
- 4 weeks: to the first three markets live
- 5 countries: UK · DE · FR · NL · BE
- 8 storefronts: Amazon · Bol.com · Kaufland · Shop Apotheke · Cdiscount
- No EU company: nothing incorporated by the brand in Europe

## Markets live
UK, DE, FR, NL, BE

## Marketplaces live on
Amazon, Bol.com, Kaufland, Shop Apotheke, Cdiscount

## Challenge
Saalt had the demand and the products but no European company, and without one, selling in Europe is impossible. The brand needed fiscal representation and a selling infrastructure it did not want to build. It had already tried a distributor, and that cost Saalt control of how its products were presented.

## What changed under Operator One
- Operator One became Merchant of Record, the legal seller in Europe, carrying the company, the VAT position and the fiscal representation Saalt was missing.
- Germany, France and the UK opened together in about four weeks, rather than one country at a time.
- The range went well beyond Amazon, live on Bol.com, Kaufland, Shop Apotheke and Cdiscount across eight storefronts.
- Product and producer compliance is handled market by market for a sensitive category.
- Marketplace advertising is held to its efficiency target as the markets scale.
- Saalt keeps ownership of its inventory and sets its own pricing strategy throughout.

## Outcome
Saalt now sells across five European countries and eight storefronts, with brand control kept and without incorporating anywhere in Europe.

## Who this applies to
If you are a US brand and the blocker is the company, the VAT registrations and the fiscal representation rather than the demand, this is the model that removes it. Book a call to see what your European launch would look like.

## Story
From locked out to five markets Saalt makes period care products: menstrual cups, discs and period underwear. It is a US brand with a strong following at home and clear demand in Europe. What stood in the way was never the market. It was the paperwork. The problem Saalt had no European company, and without one, selling in Europe is not difficult, it is impossible. The brand needed a legal seller, VAT registrations, fiscal representation and the compliance that comes with a personal care category. None of that was work the business wanted to take on. It had already tried the obvious alternative. Selling through a distributor moved product into the region, but it cost the brand control of how its products were presented. For a period care brand, where trust and accurate information are the whole proposition, that is not a small trade. What Operator One put in place Operator One became the Merchant of Record, which makes O1 the legal seller in Europe. The company, the VAT position and the fiscal representation sit with O1, while Saalt keeps ownership of its inventory and sets its own pricing strategy. Germany, France and the UK opened together in about four weeks, rather than one country at a time. From there the operation extended well beyond Amazon. Bol.com, Kaufland, Shop Apotheke and Cdiscount followed, reaching eight storefronts across five countries. Buyers in each market find the brand where they already shop, instead of on one platform everywhere. Product and producer compliance is handled market by market, and marketplace advertising is held to its efficiency target as the countries scale. Where the brand stands now Five European countries live, from a standing start of none. Eight storefronts across five different marketplace platforms. Advertising held to plan while the operation grew. Brand control kept, with no distributor between Saalt and its buyers. Who this applies to If you are a US or UK brand and the blocker is the company, the VAT registrations and the fiscal representation rather than the demand, this is the model that removes it. Book a call to see what your European launch would look like.