Fashion
Sosandar returns to revenue growth in H1 but loss widens, stores still a drag on performance
Published
November 25, 2025
Womenswear brand Sosandar said on Tuesday that it returned to revenue growth in H1 (the six months to the end of September), “underpinned by strong own-site performance and resilient margins”.
It saw growth in revenue of 15% year on year to reach 18.7 million, with own-site revenue up by 28% versus the prior year.
And it reported that the gross margin was flat at 62.2%, although the company said this was a “strong” figure, “reflecting the strategic focus on margin enhancement”.
That said, it made a loss before tax of £1.1 million, a bigger loss than the £0.7 million in the previous year, “reflecting traditional second-half weighting of profitability alongside the impact of own stores and M&S cyber incident”.
Meanwhile its net cash increased a little and it said its current trading is in line with FY26 full-year expectations for both revenue and profit before tax. Current expectations are £43.6 million in revenue and profit before tax of £0.4 million.
Sosandar said its own-site performance was driven by a “meaningful uplift in site traffic, improved conversion rates, and increased order volumes from both new and existing customers”.
And it remains one of the top-selling brands across all third-party partners, including Next, “delivering robust trading during the period” and entering the key AW season “with positive momentum”.
Also on the plus side, it launched its licensed homewares range with Next in September, “which has delivered a strong initial performance in line with our expectations”.
But not so good is the fact that “stores continue to weigh on profitability until they mature”.
In the last year, it has opened six standalone retail stores across the UK and they represent just 5% of its total net revenue. Since it opened, 60% of customers shopping in-store are brand new to Sosandar, and it’s also seeing “a notable uplift in both traffic and online revenue in those areas where we have opened stores”.
Its first two locations, Chelmsford and Marlow have recently passed their 12-month anniversary “and are delivering encouraging results. Both stores are expected to achieve breakeven in year two”.
Two of the locations, both in shopping centres (Cardiff and Gateshead) “have been challenging”, however. The company said that one of the key learnings is that “smaller market towns have consumers who shop more regularly in those locations meaning it has been quicker to build repeat customer visits resulting in higher revenue”.
As for current trading, “as anticipated, trading during the autumn period has been strong, in line with expectations” and sales through M&S have resumed following its cyber incident, “with collaborative efforts under way to scale stock intake”.
It has seen a further step up in the gross margin as well, to 67.2% in October and November to date, compared to 64.6% a year ago, “reflecting improved intake margin on new season product”
Co-CEOs Ali Hall and Julie Lavington said they were “really pleased with how the business has performed over the past six months” and that AW25 has delivered “another robust trading performance, with customers continuing to respond positively to our unique collections across both occasion and everyday dressing”.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
A review of the trade and sustainable development provisions of the ITA is under way.
EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Kaja Kallas recently met Chilean Minister of Foreign Affairs Alberto van Klaveren. Both co-chaired the first EU-Chile Joint Council under the Advanced Framework Agreement in Brussels.
The EU and Chile are committed to deepening their trade and investment relations under the Interim Trade Agreement, which came into force on February 1 and will remain in force until the new Advanced Framework Agreement has been fully ratified.
Both sides will continue to cooperate on ensuring reliable and sustainable supply chains, including through diversification and support to strategic investments.
The first EU-Chile Trade Council meeting was held under the new ITA, according to an EU release.
The EU is Chile’s third-largest trade partner and the top source of foreign direct investment (FDI).
Both sides will continue to cooperate on ensuring reliable and sustainable supply chains, including through diversification and support to strategic investments, a joint statement issued said.
Chile welcomed the interest of the EU in establishing a dialogue with the member countries of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Both parties affirm their ambition to translate this dialogue into a shared agenda.
Both sides remain committed to ensuring the effective implementation of the Advanced Framework Agreement, and to achieving its full ratification.
The provisional application of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement began on June 1, 2025.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
Published
November 30, 2025
Chanel has appointed A$AP Rocky as a new brand ambassador and debuted his tenure with a teaser video shot in New York co-starring Margaret Qualley.
The video appeared Sunday just 48 hours before Chanel’s couturier Michel Blazy will stage his debut collection of Métiers d’Art also in New York. It’s a unique line first created by Karl Lagerfeld that highlights the unique stable of artisans Chanel has assembled in such skills as embroidery, pleating, glove-making and costume jewelry.
Directed by Michel Gondry, the 2.49-minute short opens with the stars waking up in the bed of a walkup apartment in Williamsburg. Where, after a quick peck on her lover’s forehead, Qualley disappears into a tiny bathroom, before magically changing out of her blue nightie and reappearing in a red, white and blue houndstooth Chanel jacket, paired with pale blue pants, her hair in a chignon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=live
No sooner than she has disappeared, than A$AP leaps out of bed and descends the tenement building’s outside steel stairs and sets off on a mad dash after Qualley. This leads to him swimming under the Brooklyn Bridge, and running north through the Lower East Side, before finally catching up with Qualley at Astor Place station. All the action backed up my moody ambient music courtesy of Le Motel.
In between, the rapper and husband of Rihanna, manages to find time to stop in two discount stores to acquire pants and a blazer. Arriving just in time, to genuflect onto one knee, and hold out a small white Chanel box, containing one assumes a diamond engagement ring, at the station entrance. The sight of which leads the actress to leap into the air in paroxysm of joy, before the happy couple march arm and arm back into the subway.
And off one assumes to attend the Métiers d’Art show, which will be revealed on Tuesday, 8 p.m. NYC time.
Copyright © 2025 FashionNetwork.com All rights reserved.
Ms. Burgoyne joined lululemon in 2006 and became the company’s first President in 2020. Throughout her tenure, she has assumed roles of increasing responsibility and led the North America business through periods of rapid growth and expansion.
Lululemon Athletica has announced that Celeste Burgoyne, president of the Americas and global guest innovation, will leave at the end of December 2025 after 19 years with the brand.
The company will consolidate regional leadership and has appointed André Maestrini as president and chief commercial officer, giving him global oversight of stores, regions, digital channels and commercial strategy.
“We are grateful for Celeste’s leadership and significant contributions to lululemon’s business and culture over the past 19 years. She has been instrumental in growing our footprint in the Americas, creating high-quality guest experiences, and mentoring our teams across the organization,” said Calvin McDonald, Chief Executive Officer, lululemon. “I deeply appreciate her partnership and friendship, and we wish her all the best in the future.”
“My time at lululemon has been both inspiring and rewarding beyond belief,” said Ms. Burgoyne. “I am so proud of what we have accomplished as an organization since I joined in 2006 and know the team will take the company to even greater heights in the years to come. I look forward to continuing to support the brand as a lifelong fan.”
In conjunction with this announcement, lululemon has made the decision to consolidate regional leadership across the company and appoint André Maestrini as President and Chief Commercial Officer, effective immediately. Mr. Maestrini will continue to report directly to Mr. McDonald.
In this newly created role, Mr. Maestrini will provide integrated oversight of all of lululemon’s regions, stores, and digital channels globally. He will also oversee lululemon’s global commercial strategy with a focus on continued market expansion, revenue generation, and accelerating best practice sharing, across all regions including North America.
Mr. Maestrini joined lululemon in 2021 as Executive Vice President of International. In his current role, he has overseen lululemon’s operations in EMEA, APAC, and China Mainland, and has helped to more than quadruple lululemon’s international revenues.
“André has demonstrated a proven ability to unlock opportunities, advance our global expansion, and deliver growth across multiple markets,” said Mr. McDonald. “Leveraging operational discipline, deep guest insights, and extensive brand-building experience, André is the ideal person to lead our business across all markets, including North America, as we remain focused on delivering value for our guests, employees, and shareholders.”
Before joining lululemon, Mr. Maestrini spent 14 years at adidas in various senior roles across the globe. During this time, he served in a number of General Manager positions where he helped grow the company’s global sports categories and regional markets. Prior to adidas, Mr. Maestrini held marketing roles at The Coca-Cola Company, Danone, and Kraft Jacobs Suchard.
Note: The headline, insights, and image of this press release may have been refined by the Fibre2Fashion staff; the rest of the content remains unchanged.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RM)
Stock Market Live Updates: Sensex, Nifty Hit Record Highs; Bank Nifty Climbs 60,000 For The First Time
Huskers earn top overall seed in volleyball tourney
ITA to continue till Advanced Framework Agreement ratified: EU, Chile
-
Sports1 week agoWATCH: Ronaldo scores spectacular bicycle kick
-
Entertainment1 week agoWelcome to Derry’ episode 5 delivers shocking twist
-
Politics1 week agoWashington and Kyiv Stress Any Peace Deal Must Fully Respect Ukraine’s Sovereignty
-
Business1 week agoKey economic data and trends that will shape Rachel Reeves’ Budget
-
Tech6 days agoWake Up—the Best Black Friday Mattress Sales Are Here
-
Fashion7 days agoCanada’s Lululemon unveils team Canada kit for Milano Cortina 2026
-
Tech5 days agoThe Alienware Aurora Gaming Desktop Punches Above Its Weight
-
Politics1 week ago53,000 Sikhs vote in Ottawa Khalistan Referendum amid Carney-Modi trade talks scrutiny