Stella McCartney Ltd’s results for 2024 have been filed at Companies House and the company said it “continued to strengthen its position as a conscious luxury pioneer” during the year, which ended just before the announcement that McCartney had bought back the stake in her business owned by LVMH.
That said, both revenues and profits fell during the year. Revenue was down 27% at £16 million (having also fallen in the previous year). Profit sharing with Stella McCartney Italia SRL amounted to £3 million, which comprised 19% of the firm’s revenue.
Royalties were down to £7.45 million from £9.65 million and comprised 46% of revenue.
Meanwhile physical store sales rose to £5.391 million from £4.927 million, making up 34% of revenues (up from 22% a year earlier).
And while operating expenses reduced for the third consecutive year the operating loss widen from £22.5 million to £29.3 million, which the company said was primarily due to the challenging market conditions and their impact on revenue. The net loss for the financial year also widened to £33.59 million from £24.68 million.
Despite the lower revenue and profits, the company highlighted various upbeat developments. It said its Winter 2024 runway show was one of its “most impactful, led by an activist manifesto and message” inspired by an archival tank top worn by the designer in 1999. It served as a “call to action for animals and Mother Earth” via the collection that was “crafted with 90% conscious materials”. The Winter 2024 campaign evolved the message.
During the year the company also celebrated the 15th anniversary of its Fallabella bag with an OOH and PR campaign fronted by Cara Delevingne.
And it staged its Summer 2025 runway show in October 2024 and said it achieved a 127% increase in media impact value (MIV) compared to Summer 2024.
That presentation also launched the Stella Times newspaper and saw first-to-market innovations including a Ryder bag made in Hydefy, a mycelium-based alternative to animal leather. The bag launched in November 2024 and the company said it was a “commercial and editorial success”.
And in the latest year, the company has been focusing on key growth developments. They include a new strategic India distribution deal with Reliance Brands, the arrival of Tom Mendenhall as its new CEO, another link-up with H&M as well as other major collaborations, and taking part in Riyadh’s fashion week.
On Friday, beauty giant Coty stated it has sold its residual 25.8% stake in haircare brand Wella to US investment firm KKR for $750 million. Coty has retained the rights to a share of any future sale of the brand, or any revenue accruing from an IPO.
Wella Professionals
Coty said it is entitled to a 45% share of any proceeds from a sale of or IPO for Wella, once KKR’s preferred return has been achieved, adding that it plans to use most of the initial liquidity to reduce its debt.
The Wella sale brings to fruition a plan Coty initiated in 2020, aimed at streamlining its portfolio and operations, and at maximising the value it can generate from the Wella business, Coty added.
Earlier this year, Coty embarked on a strategic review of its beauty business which could lead to the sale of brands such as Rimmel and CoverGirl. The group’s goal is to refocus on the fragrance segment in the face of persistently weak demand for colour cosmetics.
This year, Coty’s shares lost almost half of their value.
Coty was founded in 1904 in Paris, and is the fragrance licensee for labels like Gucci, Chloé and Burberry. According to LSEG data, the group’s market capitalisation is approximately $2.8 billion.
The UK’s official statistics agency released its November sales report on Friday and it wasn’t great. But perhaps more useful was the CBI’s holiday trading retail report as its showed how retailers are faring just about now.
Photo: Pexels/Public domain
And the news? Its distributive trades survey showed retailers are facing “bleak holiday trading as [the] sales outlook darkens”.
The survey is based on the weighted number of retailers who said sales fell, stayed static or rose, regardless of whether those rises or falls were big or small.
It showed that retail sales volumes fell “at an accelerated rate in the year to December, extending a period of weakness that began in mid-2023”.
And the New Year is “expected to start on a gloomy note for the retail sector. Retailers anticipate that annual sales will fall sharply next month, with expectations at their weakest since March 2021”.
Overall, a balance of 44% sales sales fall, worse than the 32% in November, with 57% expecting the downturn expected to deepen in January.
Sales for the time of year were judged to be “poor” in December, to a greater extent than last month (-31% from -20% in November). Next month’s sales are set to similarly disappoint against seasonal norms (-34%).
Online retail sales volumes also declined at a moderate rate in the year to December, following two consecutive months of growth (-12% from +13% in November). Sales are expected to contract at a steep pace next month (-42%).
Martin Sartorius, Principal Economist, CBI, said: “Retailers reported that annual sales volumes fell rapidly in December, as weak consumer confidence contributed to softer trading conditions in the lead-up to Christmas. Firms do not anticipate any relief in the New Year, with sales expectations deteriorating to their weakest in over four years.”
Victoria’s Secret will be opening its first standalone store in Nottingham in the spring with the brand (which is operated in the UK by Next in a JV with its parent company) opening in Victoria Centre, the key East Midlands retail destination.
Victoria’s Secret
The new 6,000 sq ft store will be located on the Lower Level, joining an already-strong mix of international brands including Levi’s, Urban Outfitters and Rituals. The mall operator said the news “is a direct response to rising customer demand for a Victoria’s Secret store within the centre”.
The opening certainly makes sense with 63% of the mall’s visitor base being female and the very large student population in the city (there are 65,000 students there).
The operator also said the mall is seeing a “growing number of affluent guests” and it’s focused on adding “high-performing brands that resonate with its core demographic and reinforce its position as the city’s number one retail destination”.
Victoria Centre, which also has a flagship John Lewis and Boots, has seen a brand refresh this year as part of SGS UK Retail’s strategy to upgrade its whole portfolio.
Rebecca Milnes-James of the mall’s asset manager Pradera Lateral said of the latest store opening news: “Victoria’s Secret choosing Victoria Centre for its first standalone Nottingham store is a powerful endorsement of the momentum we’re building. Our strategy is focused on elevating the centre’s premium mix and ensuring we put high-performing, in-demand brands in front of our loyal and diverse guests.”