Home furnishings chain The Cotswold Company saw orders leap in the final quarter of 2023.
Orders climbed by 13% to £16.4m in the nine weeks to 31 December.. It says the increase was thanks to ongoing investment into online and retail showrooms, which it says has led to a 14% increase in active customers year-on-year.
Online – which represents 80% of sales – it increased its conversion rate by 3%. Store footfall rose by 11%.
‘At The Cotswold Company, we are seeing consumers move away from “throwaway” furniture in favour of high-quality, made-to-last products that better reflect their personalities across all rooms of the home – particularly in the run-up to Christmas. Our long-term focus on product quality, combined with investments in our omni-channel model, including optimising the online user experience and delivery service, are driving conversions and customer engagement,’ says Ralph Tucker, The Cotswold Company chief executive.
‘Looking ahead, we are confident that our online-led model underpinned with high-quality service and products as well as effective marketing investment will enable us to deliver our medium-term strategic goal of becoming the UK’s leading, premium handcrafted homeware brand.’
The chain opened its ninth UK store, in Bath, last month, which Tucker says is trading ahead of initial expectations.
