Claire’s confident of UK sales recovery
Accessories retailer implementing improvements
Claire’s has seen an improvement in its stores in the UK and France as the rate of like-for-like decline eases.
The accessories retailer reported a same-store sales decline in its international business in the low single digits for April, an improvement on the rate of decline seen over recent months.
Claire’s has previously said that its UK operation, where it has more than 450 stores, and France, where it has just over 100 outlets, have been the biggest contributor to the decline.
In February, Roger Esdon, formerly in charge of Claire’s Canadian business, was put in charge of the UK operation with a brief to bring it more closely in line with the North American stores.
Bonnie Schaefer, co-chairman and co-CEO of Claire’s Stores said: “We are continuing our efforts to improve our international comparable store sales performance. Switzerland, Austria and Germany is the region in which we first began to focus our efforts and the improvements there outpace the United Kingdom and France.
“As our work continues, it is our expectation that gains in comparable store sales will occur in those locales as well.”
Total group sales increased by 14 per cent during April, with Claire’s North America seeing same-store sales growth in low double digits, and the Icing by Claire’s clothing chain in the high teens.
