Hobbs' festive sales jump fuelled by international and online growth

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Jan 16, 2017

British womenswear brand Hobbs said the festive period, covering the 13 weeks ended 31 December, saw sales grow 14.3%, as investment in product range and customer experience supported its focus on offering “understated British style to smart busy women”.

During the period, the label’s knitwear and outerwear performed particularly strongly, with products such as the Tilda Coat becoming a best-seller. A new ‘Gifting’ collection also received a very positive response, with the novelty loungewear product proving especially popular.

Like-for-like store sales for the 13 week period increased 3.9%, while online jumped 26.7%. Meanwhile, the expansion in Bloomingdales, the launch of the first Hobbs store in Westchester, New York, and the launch of the brand in Germany helped drive international sales up 97.9% on the previous year.

Ads

The company said its US customers responded very positively to the Bloomingdales ranges of outerwear and tailoring; and in the German department store concessions, outerwear was a leading choice.

“Our international store portfolio has continued to develop and we are encouraged by customers’ reactions to the Hobbs proposition in new markets,” commented CEO Meg Lustman.

“Whilst market conditions in the UK are forecast to remain challenging for the year ahead, we are confident that Hobbs is well-positioned with a clear strategy and a pipeline for growth.”

In the three weeks prior to Christmas, the British retailer achieved total sales up 27.2%, with store sales growth of 16.1% on a like-for-like basis.