Triumph's UK sales drop as department store woes hit the business

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Oct 22, 2019

Triumph International saw its sales and profits dropping in the UK in the 2018 full year as the company fell victim to the same conditions that are affecting both local and international brands there.

The company suffered as the department stores on which it relies closed locations. The owner of the Sloggi and Triumph brands had also closed its own stores in 2017, which meant concessions in department stores such as House of Fraser and Debenhams made up a huge chunk of its UK business in 2018. The problems suffered by those two chains in particular have been well documented and a raft of brands across the fashion sector have been impacted. 

The company also faced some product availability issues, although these have mostly been resolved.

So what did all that do to its sales its UK sales last year? They fell to £28.5 million from £29.9 million, while its pre-tax profit dropped to £0.59 million from £1.2 million.

That said, it wasn't all bad news. The company said that 2018 saw the successful launch of its Sloggi Zero Feel range, which was well received by its customers and was supported by its first global and fully integrated Sloggi media campaign called Unfasten Yourself.

The company also launched a new global campaign, Together We Triumph, which marked a new creative direction for that brand. It's described as “a celebration of women all over the world” and the campaign is continuing this year.