Hotter Shoes bucks decline in retail sales as July revenues soar by 24%

Skelmersdale-based shoe brand, Hotter, has announced increased sales amid an overall decline in UK retail and the weakest performance since shops reopened in April, according to official figures.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said retail sales volumes dropped by 2.5% between June and July 2021.

Food store sales slipped by 1.5% for the month, while non-food stores, such as fashion chains, reported a 4.4% decline in volumes.

Comfort footwear brand, Hotter, which has more than four million customers worldwide, said sales for July increased 24% against June.

Victoria Betts, chief commercial officer at Hotter Shoes, said: “We are surprised by the ONS announcement of a 4.4% decline in fashion retail sales.

“As one of the largest shoe retailers in the UK, we have seen increased sales across both our online and physical stores in July, up 24% on June.

“Year-on-year, our sales are up 82%, and our ecommerce sales alone have increased 91%.

“We have experienced the same positivity in our international markets, including a seven per cent increase across our US sales.”

She added; “We have seen significant changes in consumer shopping habits throughout the past year, and our ecommerce site continues to perform strongly with online sales unwavering, despite the reopening of physical stores.

“In addition, we have experienced strong activity surrounding our end of season sales, which we launched later than most competitors and as such, enabled us to compete not only on our superior quality, but price.”

The specialist footwear brand sells more than 1.3 million pairs of shoes each year through its online site and physical stores.

In May, it announced its intention to float on London Stock Exchange’s junior AIM market in the fourth quarter of 2021.