Boden sales surge on international demand, John Lewis partnership

By

Barbara Santamaria

Published
Sep 3, 2018

British clothing brand Boden is working towards becoming a more international business after an increase in overseas customers helped it drive a 13% sales growth.

The brand’s partnership with John Lewis, which has seen Boden open concessions across selected John Lewis branches in the UK, also contributed to the sales increase, as well as the strength of its womenswear offering.

Sales increased to £347.1 million in the year to December 2017, while pre-tax profits rose 4% to £27.3 million.

The number of overseas customers purchasing Boden products increased by 14% during the period, the company said in latest update.

“We made strong progress last year and were delighted with the results achieved; 2017 saw a year of considerable investment and this will continue for the next few years. The investment programme will provide us with a solid platform as we build Boden into an international multichannel retailer,” said chief executive, Jill Easterbrook.

“We have been targeting key strategic areas of investment, skills, market knowledge and people needed to continue Boden’s international growth in the coming years. The organisational restructuring within the business will enable us to be even more customer focussed and market driven, whilst at the same time maintaining our strong Boden brand.”

Since year-end, Boden has made its retail debut in the US through a Nordstrom tie-up, complementing its catalogue and own website, Bodenusa.com. The business has also a presence in Germany and Austria.