Simply Be brand owner N Brown signs up Amanda Holden and Davina McCall for some celebrity firepower
Retailer N Brown has leaned heavily on its core brands in the last few months as the business signed up Amanda Holden and Davina McCall to provide some celebrity firepower.
The business said that its five core brands, Jacamo, Simply Be, JD Williams, Ambrose Wilson and Home Essentials saw revenue grow by 15 per cent in the first three months of the financial year.
Product revenue rose by 4.6 per cent to £106.9m in its first quarter to 29 May, fuelled by its key brands JD Williams, Simply Be, Ambrose Wilson, Jacamo and Home Essentials.
However, shares sank 4.07 per cent in its afternoon trading, taking its share price to 56.60p per share.
“The strategic transformation initiatives we have enacted over the past two years have now started to deliver product revenue growth, with customers responding well to the new ranges across our core brands,” chief executive Steve Johnson said.
“Whilst the external environment remains challenging, we have made a good start to the financial year and trading remains in line with our expectations.”
Amid the pandemic, demand for event clothing plummeted throughout national lockdowns, which hit N Brown’s brands like Simply Be.
The key brands grew 15.5 per cent, as clothing and footwear sales have continued to recover and demand swelled by 21 per cent.
Demand for home and gift items tumbled lower than the group’s fourth quarter of 2020. However, pandemic related purchases of garden furniture and personal grooming goods buoyed the market.
The Manchester headquartered retailer, which also offers financial services, has signed Amanda Holden and Davina McCall as brand ambassadors for JD Williams, to draw in more customers.
N Brown’s financial services brought in £61.8m in revenue in the 13-week period, down 5.9 per cent. While, results for its financial division revenue in next year’s full results, is expected to be lower.