Joe Browns footwear sales surge, occasion shoes and transitional boots are key

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 21, 2019

Multichannel retailer Joe Browns is seeing strong results for footwear and on Friday reported a 64% year-on-year rise in demand for its SS19 women’s collection.

And while men’s footwear hasn’t risen quite as fast as women’s, a volume increase of 63% this season brings it close and is still impressive. 

The brand said the success of the women’s offer, “which has increased participation by 6% in SS19,” has been helped by its best performing category, occasionwear styles. It has also seen strong interest in more transitional pieces as well as shoes in “a more vibrant palette.”

The company, which is currently looking for a wholesale agent to help distribute its footwear ranges nationally in the UK, has been going from strength to strength in recent periods. Like another fast-growing market peer, Joules, it seems to be bucking the weak UK retail sector trend through a lifestyle positioning, its focus on a unique product mix and a strong feel for colour and print.

Louise Harrison, buyer for footwear and accessories, said: “Occasionwear shoes have been by far the biggest driver with unit sales growing by a massive 115% compared to last summer and with many styles selling out just weeks after launch.”

The company also developed handbags and accessories to match its occasion shoes, with Harrison adding that these have sold strongly too.

She said the company has gone out on a limb this season with a much bolder colour palette and also incorporated customer favourites, such as the Louis heel, into its designs.

It’s interesting too that the strongest sellers haven’t only been summer styles with SS19 ankle boots nearly doubling their sales year-on-year with a 94% surge.

Harrison said that the company increased the volume of transitional styles “in keeping with the temperamental British weather which has really paid off.”

The former online-only company continues to expand its store footprint and is opening its second store at the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in York next month, as well as launching a new e-commerce platform with Magento in the next few weeks.