East posts “strong performance” over Christmas

Fashion retailer East has posted a 6.5 percent rise in like-for-like sales over the Christmas period, boosted by online sales.

In the five weeks to Christmas Day, East’s online sales jumped 32 percent compared with last year, with sales from East’s own website and through John Lewis increasing by 30 percent.

The fashion brand’s online business now represents 37 percent of its total sales, up 10 percentage points on 2016.

Erica Vilkauls, chief executive at East, said: “This is a strong performance in a very competitive and volatile environment.”

This impressive growth follows the news that East is preparing to expand with two new global concessions, with the first opening in Dubai in the coming months.