In a festive season characterised in many people’s minds as a poor one for UK fashion, Weird Fish is the latest name to report exactly the opposite. 

And the British lifestyle clothing brand is now planning further stores as it gears up for faster growth.

The brand expects to open 10 new locations this year following its 9% sales rise to £11.4 million in the November-December festive trading period.

Within that 9% rise, it saw double-digits increases in wholesale, e-tail, via its concessions and third-party channels — the latter enjoying a 128% jump.

The company last year signed third-party deals with Next and Mountain Warehouse, and additional deals with Freemans and Matalan.

The company also said its revenue rose 12% for the year as a whole to £42.7 million and EBITDA soared 107% to £5.3 million, driven by investment in both stores and online, as well as a full-price strategy. The latter was helped by improved marketing that created demand without the need to offer too many markdowns. It also helped drive higher average basket size.

The company had opened five new stores last year, and with the 10 planned this year, will have more than 40 in total. It also added 31 concessions.

CEO David Butler, who joined in late 2023, said: “We have continued to see positive momentum in the business through the decisions we have taken to create a more profitable businesses and enhance our product ranges and drive margin.

“The changes we have made are really resonating with our core customers and driving new shoppers to our stores and online. By strengthening our offering and continuing to grow our store estate in prime locations, we’re well placed to continue our growth journey in 2025.”