Julian Dunkerton does not stand alone in his battle to turn around the fortunes of the fashion label he famously founded on a market stall in Cheltenham – he is now backed by an army of social media influencers.
As he championed the plc’s latest financial results as proof that the efforts to rejuvenate the brand were working, since his return to the helm in 2019, he also underscored the significance of social media in the battle for consumers’ hearts of minds.
‘We’ve engaged more than 2,000 influencers to support our social marketing strategy, a sixfold year-on-year increase, and from a standing start we also now have over 100,000 followers on TikTok,’ said Dunkerton.
The number of influencers is up sixfold year-on-year and its Instagram followers grew by 23 per cent.
Key messages Superdry wants to share in 2022 will centre on ‘style’ and the Cheltenham-headquartered firm’s drive to become ‘the most sustainable listed global fashion brand in the world by 2030’.
Superdry’s interim results for the 26 weeks to October 2021 show a fall in year-on-year revenue of 1.9 per cent to £277.2 million.
However, figures for the 11-week period to 8 January 2022 show sales were up 19.6 per cent, especially in its shops.
This is ‘despite footfall remaining suppressed’ by the Covid-19 pandemic and Superdry’s move away from ‘mark-down offers’ over Christmas and Black Friday.
‘Superdry is now showing clear signs of brand and financial recovery,’ said Dunkerton.
By Andrew Merrell
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