White Stuff, a well-known lifestyle brand, has reported robust sales and profit growth in its year-end results, demonstrating the success of its ongoing business transformation. The company’s total sales for the 52 weeks ending on April 29 amounted to £151.4 million, marking a 13.3% year-on-year increase. Importantly, profit on an EBITDA basis surged to £7 million, up from £2.9 million, when adjusted for non-recurring items, such as Covid-related grants and business rates relief.
Retail sales played a significant role in this growth, with an 18.1% increase to £73.9 million. This increase was driven by customers returning to various shop types, including city centers, shopping malls, market towns, and resorts. Online sales also posted a healthy 7.3% increase to £65.8 million, which is noteworthy considering some retailers experienced a drop in e-sales as customers shifted back to in-person shopping post-pandemic.
White Stuff’s online growth was further boosted by its collaboration with third-party partners, including M&S, Next, and John Lewis. The wholesale segment, both domestically and internationally, showed impressive growth with a 20.6% rise to £11.7 million. The international business, which includes wholesale, online, standalone retail, and concessions, experienced an even greater increase, up 21.7% to £13.5 million.
These results reflect the success of White Stuff’s early-stage transformation program. The company also achieved a record year for customer recruitment, adding 317,000 new customers, a 25% year-on-year increase. Key categories like dresses (up 43%) and menswear (up 28%) performed exceptionally well. Additionally, customers purchased more of White Stuff’s “elevated basics,” with 1.4 million of these popular items sold during the year.
White Stuff operates 123 shops and 54 concessions in the UK, along with concessions in Germany and Belgium. It also sells internationally through its website and has 575 wholesale stockists, including 165 in the UK and Ireland and 410 in other countries. The brand’s commitment to fair trade practices, as the UK’s largest retailer of Fairtrade Sourced Cotton, has contributed to its ongoing success. With strong performance across all channels, White Stuff is clearly thriving during its business transformation, making it a notable player in the lifestyle retail industry.
