Antler’s recent rebrand appears to be paying off with the upscale British luggage label’s festive season proving strong. The company saw a 9% sales increase in November and December with UK online sales up a higher 12% over the same period.

And its sales are tracking up 9% overall for the year with the company forecasting end-of-year sales hitting £44 million. Its FY25 year runs until the end of February. The company believes it’s also on track to hit £100 million within the next five years.

The growth comes as global travel bounces back from the devastating impact of the pandemic that saw many airlines, cruise companies, and luggage specialists battening down the hatches and taking extreme steps to ensure survival. Antler itself collapsed into administration in 2020.

But while the travel sector rebound was initially slow, pent-up demand saw travel booming in 2022 and 2023 while 2024 saw tourism and travel normalising at a high level and 2025 is also expected to be a more ‘normal’ buoyant year for the sector.

More than a century old, Antler bounced back from administration and rebranded in 2023, reimagining itself for a new era of luxury travel. Last year it also launched its new Icon Collection as well as an experiential store in New York City.

Its progress can be seen from the fact that this time last year, it said FY23 saw sales growth of 427% to £27 million and for FY24, it was expecting sales to rise 41% in total to £40 million. A figure of £44 million for FY25 would underline the strength of its growth strategy.

The company still faces major challenges, of course, including a much more competitive market. The World Travel & Tourism Council is projecting the travel industry to reach an all-time high economic contribution of $11.1 trillion globally, but the competition between luggage brands is heating up and as well as established players, more new brands are launching.

For instance, last summer new brand Timothy London launched its “innovation-rich premium collection” and a new Jermyn Street flagship store in London.