Oka’s ‘rebuild’ project on course after seasonal sales hike

“Record performances” across its furniture, lighting and accessories collections contributed to bumper sales during the 10-week trading period to 28 December, the luxury homewares brand said.

Like-for-like sales were up 19% over the same period, while customer numbers increased 10%, driven by more people discovering the brand for the first time, Oka said.

The retailer added that margins had also improved on the same period last year.

It also suggested that discretionary spending in the premium homewares category was proving more resilient in the face of rising cost pressures, with more customers switching to buying fewer, higher quality pieces with an increased focus on heritage.

Last July, the premium homeware retailer told Retail Week it was rebuilding after rapid overseas expansion landed the brand in hot water in 2024, culminating in its US business filing for bankruptcy.

The brand, which operates through 12 showrooms across the UK, online and via its interior design base, launched its first two UK concession stores in 2025.

The sites at Redbrick Mill in West Yorkshire and Fenwicks in Newcastle form part of Oka’s plan to make the brand more accessible in more affluent pockets of the UK outside of London and the South East.

“We welcomed a record number of customers to the brand over the seasonal trading period, with strong contributions from both our store and online businesses,” said Oka chief executive Mark Saunders.

“Our teams have worked hard to make our pricing more affordable and offer fresh throughout the period.

“Looking ahead, we’re continuing to scale our UK presence through an expanding showroom and concession network as well as online, where a growing number of our customers are transacting, and continuing to extend Oka into adjacent categories as a leading luxury home interiors brand.”

Oka was founded by Lady Astor – former prime minister David Cameron’s mother-in-law – in 1999 and has a flagship store on Chelsea’s Fulham Road.