White Stuff targeting the US and expanding wholesale business

British fashion and lifestyle brand White Stuff is launching in the US this summer as it looks to step up its international expansion plans and double the size of its wholesale business over the next four years.

In a statement, White Stuff said it will be rolling out this month through several wholesale retail partners in seven US states, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

Around 18 small and medium-sized independent US retailers will feature a curated selection of White Stuff’s womenswear, including popular products such as its ‘Sophie’ and ‘Annie’ shirts, ‘Rua’ dresses and ‘Nelly’ tees.

The move follows a successful trial in two states, Michigan and Illinois, with Chicago-based wholesale partner Showroom Code, which it said, “delivered strong sales and positive feedback from customers”.

White Stuff utilising wholesale partnerships to launch in the US

By keeping the expansion small, White Stuff said it would allow the company to “test and learn,” with the ambition to grow the product offering to include menswear, as well as expanding into major department stores across the country.

White Stuff’s wholesale business has enabled the brand to extend its reach to a wider customer base, partnering with local independent retailers that pre-order stock directly from White Stuff to sell through their own stores and channels. This model it states allows it to test its product in new markets, without significant operational investment.

Currently, its wholesale business represents around 8 percent of the brand’s overall sales, with 410 existing partnerships in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Greece, Canada and New Zealand.

The past year has seen record sales for wholesale at White Stuff, and the company is now targeting doubling the size of its wholesale business over the next 4 years, as part of its ongoing transformation strategy to modernise the brand, acquire new customers and “become more relevant to more people”.

Jo Jenkins, chief executive at White Stuff, said: “The US is a big market with a meaningful opportunity for a distinctive British brand like ours, and we’re confident that our thoughtfully created designs in quality fabrics will resonate with US customers across the pond.

“Our wholesale business has helped us learn and adapt to new markets like Canada, New Zealand and the Czech Republic in the past few years and has significant potential in the US. As we continue to scale White Stuff into an internationally recognised fashion and lifestyle brand, we see wholesale playing a bigger role in our strategy.”

Established in 1985, White Stuff is a multi-channel lifestyle brand with 114 shops and 46 concessions in the UK, within John Lewis, Marks & Spencer and other independents. It also has six shops and 22 concessions in both Germany and Belgium and sells internationally via its website and has 575 wholesale stockists (165 in the UK and Ireland and 410 international wholesale stockists).

Last week, White Stuff expanded its partnership with British retailer Marks & Spencer by launching into 10 additional UK locations, doubling its presence to 20 stores.