Cotton Traders posts increase in operating profit for 2024

British heritage casualwear brand Cotton Traders has reported a “steady performance” for 2024, with operating profit increasing 3 percent year-on-year to 9.46 million pounds, returning the retailer to profit growth following a decline in 2023.

Cotton Traders added that EBITDA increased 4 percent year-on-year to 11.94 million pounds, against a 1 percent decline in turnover of 107.88 million pounds in 2024.

In a statement, the British retailer said the profit increase was down to a combination of continued sales growth driven by its online market share, as well as new customers driven from marketplaces. The brand launched on Debenhams Group and Freemans Group online marketplaces in 2024, and Matalan in January 2025.

In addition, sales across the brand’s 89 stores have also been “instrumental” in overall sales growth, with the retailer reporting a “real resurgence” to its physical stores. The brand added two stores in 2024 and implemented a wider programme of in-store modernisation, refits and an increase in total estate square footage.

Nick Hamblin, chief executive of Cotton Traders, said in a statement: “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."

Cotton Traders returns to profit growth

The brand also reported omnichannel success with growth in its ‘Order In Store’ programme, which grew 1.9 percent year-on-year by revenue, while celebrity brand ambassadors, including broadcaster Alex Jones and TV star Will Mellor, continued to deliver on brand perception, awareness and relevancy within the brand’s target audience.

Turnover continued to fall in 2024, with the retailer reporting sales of 107.9 million pounds, down 1 percent year-on-year. The decline in sales was attributed to a pause in television advertising amid a “turbulent economic climate in 2024”. Cotton Traders has since returned to TV advertising with a six-week marketing campaign in the first half of 2025.

Shona Jameson, chief marketing officer at Cotton Traders, added: “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.”

Cotton Traders, founded by former England national rugby union team captains Fran Cotton and Steve Smith, has been producing clothing since 1987.