British luggage brand Antler has recorded a 24 per cent sales lift in Australia for the 2023 financial year, hitting £17 million (A$32.68 million).
Australia is the brand’s second-largest international market.
The double-digit sales lift in Australia comes after a global repositioning strategy under the leadership of managing director Kirsty Glenne who headed up the brand in May 2022.
“I joined Antler two years ago with a clear mandate to reimagine this 110-year-old brand and scale globally,” Glenne said. “The first phase of this transformation launched in May 2023, marking a pivotal moment for the brand's reimagination.
“We launched a completely new aesthetic, refined our tone of voice, introduced a new logo and a re-platformed global e-commerce site to optimise customer experience.
“Our standout performance is also underscored by a prosperous travel sector post-pandemic – ‘revenge travel’ has fuelled a heightened demand across the travel industry as a whole over the past few years.”
Revenge travel is the act of taking a trip that wasn’t able to happen during the pandemic.
The brand’s relaunch also coincided with a new collection release titled ‘Icon Collection’ - the first collection designed under Glenne’s leadership and Antler’s new London-based design team - as well as a partnership with British brand Soho House Group.
“The partnership flourished in Australia during October with a series of co-branded experiences and events at Soho House’s exclusive Sydney residency at The Old Clare Hotel during South by Southwest (SXSW) – a week-long celebration of technology, film, music, education, and culture,” Glenne said.
“Over the last year, we’ve navigated an overall challenging retail landscape, along with a very competitive travel and luggage sector. What has been so essential is our ability to remain steadfast in understanding Antler’s position in the market, and how we differentiate from our competitors.
“We have not compromised on our brand, we know our strengths and who we are, and I believe staying true to who we are has given us a real advantage. Our commitment to being an attainable premium brand has been pivotal. By offering high-quality goods with features like a lifetime warranty, we've made a luxury proposition accessible to many in the Australian market, not the few.”
With the heightened demand seen across the travel industry, Antler anticipates continued double-digit growth over the next five years.
Antler is available in Australia via a dedicated online website, as well as in-store and online from Strand, as well as supporting stockists including David Jones and Myer.
The British luggage brand is owned by ATR Holdings, an associated company of Strand in Australia.
Glenne added that Antler’s next phase is to double down on the new rebrand and scale Antler into new territories globally, as well as introduce new retail concepts and continue to collaborate with wholesale partners.