The British fashion retailer posted a 16 per cent surge in sales to£82.2 million in the year to February 23, aided by investment in brand repositioning and expansion. EBITDA jumped 22 per cent to£6.1 million.
Jaeger, which has 132 UK stores and operates in 15 countries, is also seeking wholesale agreements in department stores worldwide. It currently wholesales in Saks department stores in the US and David Jones stores in Australia. 95 per cent of group sales are from UK retail sales.
Group chief executive Belinda Earl said: “We are looking for significant growth in retail and wholesale. We will focus on the UK, but international markets offer a great opportunity.”
Earl said Jaeger will open 30 standalones and shop-in-shops overseas in the next year. This week, it opened franchises in Kuwait, Bahrain, Lithuania, Taiwan and Thailand. In January, the retailer signed a franchise deal in the Middle East with Speciality Fashion Group to open eight stores over five years. It also has a Japanese licence to open seven shop-in-shops over a year.
The retailer is set to offer international delivery on its web site, which launched in autumn 2006 and is now among Jaeger’s five best-performing stores.
Earl declined to provide like-for-like sales figures for the year, but said sales for contemporary sub-brand Jaeger London had risen 50 per cent.
She said the retailer has “a fair degree of isolation” from the downturn, thanks to its£20 million investment in repositioning over the past four years.
Jaeger will develop its accessories range to account for 20 per cent of turnover within five years and expand its “affordable couture” line Jaeger Black into menswear this autumn.
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