Whispering Smith fashions a loss

TEXTILES and fashion business Whispering Smith – the new name for The Rajan Group – has fallen into the red.

The Manchester company, run by brothers Rajan and Sanjay Kumar, said despite growing sales by £3m to £48m in the year to the end of March, it made a loss of £736,000, against a profit of £298,000 last time.

Newly-filed accounts rebeal that Whispering Smith – which held a glitzy relaunch party in London in June featuring an appearance by former Britain’s Got Talent winner George Sampson, saw sales grow by nearly £4m to £36.3m  in the UK, but fall from £11.5m to £10.4m in the EU.

Based on Ducie Street, Piccadilly, Whispering Smith has offices in London, the US, Spain, Germany and Hong Kong.

According to the company’s website it supplies a range of retailers including Top Shop owner Arcadia, Republic and Ethel Austin.

In their report the Kumar brothers said: “The directors continue to focus and invest in our qulaity, ethical and service standards.”

They said they had improved “quality control and audit links” with its offices  in India and China, which had helped improve product quality, strengthened customer relationships, increased sales and eased competitive pressure.

Looking ahead they add: “The commercial environment is expected to remain competitive as clothing retailers continue to pressure their suppliers on price whilst maintaining quality and standards.

“However we remain confident the we will maintain and improve our current level of performance in the future.”