Robust Christmas for Jo Browns

Joe Browns, the Leeds-based fashion and homes retailer, has announced what it called a ‘robust Christmas’ with sales up +19.5% in the four weeks to 25 December 2022.

The strong figures were delivered against a backdrop of external economic factors including the on-going cost of living crisis, which continues to affect consumer confidence.

The robust year-on-year growth, which annualised on similarly strong sales figures for Christmas 2022, was delivered across all the retailer’s channels including; direct via joebrowns.co.uk and brochures, as well as via third party retailers, wholesale and its two stores.

Each product area saw growth. Womenswear, the retailer’s largest category, sales were +8.2% with dresses performing particularly well. In menswear formal shirts and jackets were strong, and home was driven, in the main by bedding.

Although sales to the start of the SS23 were encouraging, Joe Browns cautioned that economic pressures would continue throughout 2023, but emphasised that its focus would still be on growth.

This growth will be delivered through the continued development of its product offering, focusing on designing remarkable and unique ranges – something that has always been, and continues to be, at the heart of what Joe Browns is all about.

While at the same time, the business is continually developing its marketing imagery to support e-comm and third-party suppliers, alongside what it describes as ‘cleaner’ brochures and on-line execution that still portray Joe Browns distinctive handwriting.

This, alongside the £2M warehouse upgrade, with works starting this month and being operational by Q3.

Said Peter Alecock, CEO, “Against a challenging economic backdrop, the team has gone above and beyond and delivered robust sales in the run up to Christmas. I would like to take the opportunity to thank each and every one of my colleagues for their continuing hard work and dedication.

“External headwinds will be present throughout the coming year. That said, our focus remains on growth and I’m confident in our strategy to navigate.”

“Creating remarkable product and delivering a fantastic experience for all our Joe Browns customers, who are at the heart of everything we do, will be central to this. I am excited for the journey ahead and what we can deliver with the support of our enthusiastic and dedicated team.”

Joe Browns already boasts the likes of The Very Group, Next, Freeman Grattan Holdings and N Brown Group as retail partners, all taking either its distinct fashion or unique homeware, or a combination of both.

Over the course of the last year the retailer announced a newly created role of CEO with Peter Alecock joining from JD Sports, further extensions to its home and fashion offers, including its largest homeware offer to date, and an evolution of its brand look and feel that reached every single customer touch point.

Joe Browns also announced that it would be investing £2m in a warehouse upgrade that is designed to support both its growth ambitions and increase pick face efficiency even further.