Cotton Traders FY profits rise 3% to £9.46m
Marketplace partnerships in 2024 included the Debenhams Group and Freemans Group, with an additional tie-up with Matalan beginning in January 2025
Cotton Traders has reported a 3% rise in operating profit to £9.46m for its 2024 financial year, driven by growth in online and marketplace sales, despite a slight 1% decline in turnover to £107.8m.
The British fashion brand revealed that its EBITDA also rose 4% to £11.94m during the period.
Cotton Traders attributed its improved profitability to repeat purchases from existing customers, the recruitment of new customers through its own online platform, and expansion into online marketplaces.
Marketplace partnerships in 2024 included the Debenhams Group and Freemans Group, with an additional tie-up with Matalan beginning in January 2025.
Sales from the brand’s 89 stores also contributed to growth, alongside the opening of two new stores, modernisation of the estate and a rise in total store square footage.
According to Cotton Traders, the drop in turnover was partly due to its decision to pause television advertising in 2024 amid a “turbulent economic climate”.
Despite this, celebrity brand ambassadors Alex Jones, Will Mellor and Jasmine Harman continued their partnerships with the brand during the year, which the company said supported its perception and relevance among target customers.
Cotton Traders resumed its mass media campaigns in the first half of 2025.
Shona Jameson, chief marketing officer of Cotton Traders, said: “In our pursuit to reposition brand perceptions, this rest period allowed us to re-assess and re-visit our brand persona, and our ‘Full of Surprises’ brand campaign addressed brand and audience misconceptions head-on in a memorable, humorous way that talks directly to our target audience; challenging them to reassess what they thought they knew about Cotton Traders.”
Nick Hamblin, chief executive of Cotton Traders, added: “We’ve seen a real resurgence to stores in 2024, and our omnichannel offering is stronger than ever, which in turn is increasing our sales across bricks and mortar.
“We’re encouraged by the brand’s increase in operating profits throughout 2024, most notably driven through an incremental increase in online and in-store sales, combined with customers being driven to the brand through successfully implementing our marketplace growth strategy – all in the face of a turbulent economic period.”
