FatFace Christmas sales look good, both women’s and men’s prove strong
Fashion and lifestyle retailer FatFace has reported Christmas sales up a hefty 34% as both digital and stores did well in the five weeks to 7 January.
For the 26 weeks up to late November, the company also reported a 9% increase in total sales to £136 million, driven by recovery at its physical locations as footfall rose.
And as well as that undeniably impressive festive increase, the company also manage an even more impressive 47% rise in like-for-like Christmas store sales. That came as digital sales continued to grow with a 26% leap and average order sizes also rose among both existing and new customers.
What was particularly important about all this was that the company held its nerve and maintained a focus on full price all the way up to Christmas, only starting its discount campaign on Boxing Day. This strategy also led to its best ever trading week in the days following Christmas.
The company said knitwear and dresses were both strong categories for womenswear and menswear did well too, with shirts and outerwear particularly strong, something that has seen all year as these key categories recovered. That’s important as menswear accounts for 20% of total sales. And it said it sold about a million pairs of socks last year. It also did well in the gifts category, as well as selling, plenty of kids nightwear onesies.
The company, which has over 200 stores — the majority of them in the UK — sources around 60% of its sales in stores and the rest via digital channels. It opened its first store in the US in 2016 and will open in Canada this spring.
