While many British brands are struggling due to the weaker sterling, Cath Kidston are benefiting hugely from international growth with a surge in sales over the past year.
Cath Kidston is a retailer famous for its own unique vintage style and a wide selection of products from homeware to clothing – and everything in-between.
It was established by English fashion designer, Catherine Isabel Audrey Kidston, who is the cousin of Kirstie Allsopp, famous for her Channel 4 property shows. Kidston remains the creative director of the business and gave up her interior design business to solely focus on this venture. She has also written books which tie in nicely with the brand, including ‘Sew!’ and ‘Stitch.’
The brand started in London, with the first store being opened in Holland Park, London. They have now established in countries all over the world, including China, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Spain. There are more than 60 stores throughout the UK and over 50 in Asia. Japan has also been a big success for the retail brand, which has more than 30 stores.
The Japanese love the designs so much that Catherine Kidston has to visit under a false name to avoid the hype!
The brand opened its first Indian store in October. This international growth is helping the brand to escape the wrath of Brexit, with an overall increase of 12.2% in the first half of 2016, with international growth at 44.3%. It is now worth £50 million and this is set to continue to grow over the years.
The British-based business is not only boosting sales and profits, they are also helping the economy through their increase in retail recruitment, with over 200 staff working in the London headquarters alone.
As the brand progresses, there are plans to open even more international stores, as well as continuing to develop new products and marketing strategies. The brand is diverse and appeals to a wide customer base, which has helped them to grow at unprecedented levels. The London tourist stores are also helping the success of the stores, which still have a strong presence in the UK.
The retailer has also collaborated with other retailers, including Millets, Nokia and Tesco, to produce designs specifically for these brands.
Unfortunately, they haven’t had the same success in America and had to close two of their stores, which were based in New York and Santa Monica. It seems Americans don’t share the same love for the cute, feminine modern vintage designs as the rest of the world.
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