The White Company’s posted strong Christmas trading and also revealed it more than doubled its operating profit to £4.5m in the 53 weeks to March 31. Retail Week speaks to chief executive Will Kernan about how the retailer generated sales growth.

Are you pleased with Christmas trading?

We were extremely pleased with Christmas trading. We feel we traded very strongly with 13% top-line sales growth. Sales growth has accelerated since Christmas. In addition, we have seen a very significant margin improvement as we cut back on the level of promotional activity this year.

What products were most popular this Christmas?

We saw particularly strong growth across clothing, which grew 34% in the eight weeks to December 22.

Linens were also very strong on last year. Fragrances and candles did particularly well over Christmas. No product category disappointed this year.

How did The White Company post such a strong performance?

We’ve done a lot of work with the overall provenance of the products. Our candles are hand poured in Devon and some of our cashmere woven in Scotland. There has been a real focus on improving quality here, while keeping prices level and we have maintained outstanding value for money.

We are obsessional about quality here and customers see it as really important. There is certainly a move towards investment-type retailing.

We have also worked to improve the customer experience in store and online. We made 30-40 improvements to the website which have made the online experience richer in the run up to Christmas.

How do you think 2013 will play out for retailers?

I remain cautious about the market as we go into 2013. I don’t think it’s getting easier or much harder for that matter. The customer doesn’t have more disposable income and confidence is not improving.

 

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