Moss Bros warns couples could put World Cup before weddings
MOSS Bros’ chief executive Brian Brick yesterday said its wedding business was picking up again after a tough 2013 caused hire sales to fall 6.9 per cent but he warned that this summer’s World Cup could see couples delay tying the knot.
“We had two very good years for weddings but last year was tougher for everyone in the wedding industry – whether that was on the back of two better years I am not sure,” Brick said.
The decline in wedding suit hire sales has now stabilised and rose in March, however he cautioned that there were still factors that could put sales off kilter.
“Easter falls later than last year and you have got the World Cup effect so people will be either accelerating or pushing forward their wedding,” Brick said.
Total like-for-like sales rose 4.2 per cent to £122.2m in the year to 25 January, helping to push pre-tax profits up by 42 per cent to £4.4m.
The retailer, which has 133 shops, plans to strengthen its brand this year by renaming its Dehavilland, Blazer and Ventuno brands Moss London, Moss Esq. and Moss 1851.