The business, the UK’s leading outdoor clothing company, is stepping up the pace of new store openings after seeing sales hit an all-time high.
The company, which has 370 shops in eight countries, is opening a new branch every week in the run-up to Christmas. That is on top of 35 new shops last year and it is planning for 50 more next year, having seen shoppers flock back to the High Street.
The group has also put the dark days of the pandemic behind it by bouncing back into the black. Revenue reached £371M, up 22.6 per cent, in the 12 months to the end of February 2023, the highest in the company’s 26-year history but, it made a small £1.5M loss due to soaring freight and energy costs.
It has rebounded strongly since then, with record H1 sales of £171M in the six months to the end of August 2023 and underlying profits of £6.7M. It was helped by the wash-out summer, selling 350,000 waterproof jackets in July and August alone. It is a remarkable recovery for a business that was fighting for survival when the pandemic forced it to close all its stores and furlough its 3,500 workers.
Founder Mark Neale said: “During Covid there was a belief that nobody was ever going to go to a store again, and their days were numbered, but that’s proved to be completely wide of the mark. Whilst our online business had a big boost during the pandemic and continues to go from strength to strength, our stores have bounced back with gusto showing that customers want to shop both channels.
