Fat Face reveals earnings rise and Christmas sales climb

Fat Face recorded an 8% increase in EBITDA to £14.9m in the half-year to December 2, 2017, when sales rose 12% to £120m.

First-half ecommerce sales climbed 27% to account for 18% of the total, while international revenues advanced 61% to £5.5m.

Over a five-week Christmas period to January 6, like-for-likes rose 8%.

Over Christmas, the retailer said, “all channels performed well” and wholesale and concession partners’ performance – up 60% – was “a particular highlight”.

Fat Face chief executive Anthony Thompson said: “Fat Face has outperformed the market in the first half while maintaining a full-price trading stance.

“Our US stores continue to perform well and we look forward to further openings in 2018 and beyond.

“This together with a new distribution centre and launch of a new website underpinned a great first half for the group.”

He said that Christmas trading had been “strong on all fronts as the retailer resisted discounting. The week ending December 23 was a record week for full-price sales at Fat Face, he pointed out.

Thompson said: “We continue to believe that giving our customers price integrity before the big day has been central to this performance.”