Clothing retailer White Stuff has posted a jump in sales after it maintained a full-price price position in the run-up to Christmas.

The retailer said overall sales increased 17.9% over the five weeks ended January 3, while like-for-likes increased 6.5%. Online sales jumped 38.1% compared with the same period last year, accounting for 24.7% of total sales.

The retailer invested in and diversified its gifting range for peak trading, and sales in the category increased 76.5% on last year. Loungewear and homeware were a focus, with sales growth of 126% and 122% respectively. The menswear category also reported a 32.4% rise in sales compared with last year.

“We’re very pleased with our performance over Christmas, especially given the competitive marketplace and the continuing influence of Black Friday on customer behaviour. Our customers responded very positively to our strong multichannel proposition, improved gifting product offer and new shops,” said White Stuff chief executive Jeremy Seigal.

“We sold full-price product well through December, and then saw an excellent reaction to our first week of Sale, which resulted in a strong gross margin performance.

“We will continue to develop our brand, product, customer experience and service proposition to support our future growth in the UK and overseas”.

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