Jane Shepherdson, formerly of Topshop, led a buy-out of Whistles in 2008. Photograph: Katherine Rose for the Observer
Fashion chain Whistles is to move into menswear next year after swinging into the black for the first time since a buy-out led by former Topshop boss Jane Shepherdson in 2008.
The company, which is owned by its management and other private investors as well as two Icelandic banks, made a pre-tax profit of £1.1m in the year to January, up from a £1m loss the year before, as underlying UK sales rose 20%.
Shepherdson said: "We had a fantastic year. It's taken a while to get the aesthetic completely right and find out which things people love to buy from us. Now we've got things right we're growing."
She said dresses, many in prints designed in-house for the brand, as well as cashmere, leather jackets and skirts were all selling well this season as sales continued to rise, particularly online.
Total sales at the retailer, which has about 90 UK outlets including 48 standalone stores, rose 24% to £49.3m last year as it expanded into Germany and Hong Kong.
After a successful tie-up with department store Lane Crawford in Hong Kong, the brand will now move into mainland China with concessions in Beijing and Shanghai planned this autumn. Shepherdson's former employer Sir Philip Green also announced a move into China this week with the Topshop chain.
Shepherdson said she had wanted to offer menswear since arriving at Whistles but now felt it was the right time amid increased demand for a contemporary clothing at mid-market prices. "It's an obvious thing to do as we are not an overly feminine brand and the department stores we work with have been asking for it. There's a gap in the market for menswear at Whistles' price point."
Shepherdson said that Whistles, which was founded in 1978, also had room to grow in the UK, particularly in London, and places where it is not represented such as Birmingham.
via fashion - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNHl3csDa38x1PJSLjkcZcTmR9enQg&url=http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/oct/10/whistles-fashion-chain-menswear
0 意見:
張貼留言