British lifestyle and fashion brand White Stuff will be launching in the US this summer, stepping up its international expansion plans through its growing wholesale business.
Rolling out from June through a number of wholesale retail partners, shoppers in 7 US states* will be able to access a curated collection of womenswear from White Stuff, including popular products such as Sophie and Annie shirts, Rua dresses and Nelly tees.
Around 18 small and medium sized independent US retailers will feature White Stuff’s unique designs. This will give the company opportunity to test and learn, with the ambition to grow the product offering to include menswear, as well as expanding into major department stores across the country.
The move follows a successful trial in two states (Michigan and Illinois) with Chicago-based wholesale partner Showroom Code, which delivered strong sales and positive feedback from customers.
White Stuff’s wholesale business has enabled the brand to extend its reach to a wider customer base, partnering with local independent retailers that pre-order stock direct from White Stuff to sell on through their own stores and channels. This model allows White Stuff to test its product in new markets, without significant operational investment.
The wholesale business currently represents around 8% of the brand’s overall sales, with 410 existing partnerships in the UK, Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Greece, Canada and New Zealand. The past year has seen record sales for wholesale at White Stuff, and the company now plans to double the size of its wholesale business over the next 4 years. This forms a key part of White Stuff’s ongoing transformation strategy, aiming to modernise the brand, acquire new customers and become more relevant to more people.
Jo Jenkins, CEO, White Stuff commented: “The US is a big market with a meaningful opportunity for a distinctive British brand like ours, and we’re confident that our thoughtfully created designs in quality fabrics will resonate with US customers across the pond.
“Our wholesale business has helped us learn and adapt to new markets like Canada, New Zealand and the Czech Republic in the past few years and has significant potential in the US. As we continue to scale White Stuff into an internationally recognised fashion and lifestyle brand, we see wholesale playing a bigger role in our strategy.”
