Designer homeware site Made.com turned a profit in the UK for the first time last year
Design business Made.com generated a profit in the UK for the first time last year.
The figures
In results for 2016 released today, the trendy homeware business revealed that its sales grew by 48 per cent.
In the UK, revenue was up 38 per cent, helping the business to turn its first profit in the country.
Overseas, showrooms launched in Paris and Berlin, and international sales grew 69 per cent.
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Why it's interesting
With sales now approaching £100m, Made.com has shown it can achieve fast revenue growth. But its swing to profitability in the UK marks "a significant moment in the group's evolution", according to chief executive Philippe Chainieux.
Made.com has positioned itself as a beneficiary of the shift to online shopping, meaning it has a long-term strategy of taking advantage of the move to digital shopping. The pace of this change is now "increasing", said Chainieux.
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What Made.com said
Chainieux, who became CEO at the start of this year, said: "The coming years for Made are expected to be as transformational as the last. At its core Made has a unique combination of design-talent both in-house and through collaborations with leading designers, extensive direct relationships with manufacturers and a highly engaged customer base of brand advocates.
"Through our technology platform, we will increasingly harvest the views of customers to help determine which unique products to produce and sell globally under the Made brand; making good on our commitment and promise to democratise excellent design.”
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