Influencer marketing platform developer Xamble Group (ASX:XGL) has a new opportunity to expand its Asian market potential with a wholly owned subsidiary of 7-Eleven Malaysia making a $1.5 million strategic investment in the company.

Convenience Shopping (Sabah) (CSS) is providing the new funding to accelerate Xamble’s growth and further enhance its platform’s capabilities.

CSS will become the company’s second-largest shareholder with 12.6% of Xamble’s issued CHESS Depositary Interests (CDIs) after subscribing to 42,857,143 new CDIs at a placement price of 3.5 cents each.

Sustainable growth

New Xamble chief executive officer Jason Thoe said the investment would help XGL continue its transformation into a sustainable high-growth business and enable the company to expand its offerings and scale operations.

“Securing this strategic investment is validation for us as we continue to disrupt the influencer marketing space and is a key step in the transformation of the group to become the leading influencer marketing platform in Southeast Asia,” he said.

“Alongside the restructuring of the operations which started in October 2024, as well as the recruitment of key personnel to the leadership team in the previous quarter, this vote of confidence positions Xamble to build on our strong market experience to accelerate our mission to grow, enable, and build brands through tech-enabled social influence and commerce.”

Empowering brands

7-Eleven director Tan U-Ming said that, since its launch, the Xamble Creators App has empowered various brands in their execution of highly successful influencer marketing campaigns.

“By integrating Xamble’s influencer ecosystem, 7-Eleven can strengthen its brand value and distribution network, enhancing its appeal to consumers and partner brands alike,” he said.

“This strategic investment also fosters innovation, positioning 7-Eleven to stay competitive in the evolving retail landscape while enabling Xamble to expand its impact in the influencer marketing space.”

“Xamble’s strong and savvy leadership team, industry-leading platform and deep understanding of the market serve as the foundation for the group to embark on further growth and we look forward to supporting them on this journey.”

Transition period

The new investment follows a period of transition for Xamble with the appointment of Mr Thoe as the new chief executive officer of the group.

He will lead a restructure of the group away from a portfolio of individually branded companies to a more consolidated model under the Xamble brand aimed at improving resource efficiencies across the group.

Further restructuring initiatives have refocused efforts on sales and business development activities across four key categories: food and beverage, health and wellness, beauty and personal care and financial services.

Mr Thoe said the transaction, which is expected to close by no later than 19 December, marks a new chapter for Xamble.

“This development enhances our company’s fundamentals while empowering us to pursue and execute on our reinvigorated business plan and growth objectives going forward.”