Seasalt to open stores as sales lift

Seasalt plans to open new stores after surge in sales of colorful blouses and waterproof jackets, almost tripling profits to £6.5 million

Boost: An increase in sales almost tripled profits to £6.5m

Seasalt is planning to open new stores after sales of colorful blouses and waterproof jackets nearly tripled profits to £6.5 million.

Sales rose by more than a third at the Cornish-inspired retailer to £96m in the year to January 2022, according to the latest accounts filed with Companies House.

This was boosted by shops reopening after Covid lockdowns, which put a dent in the previous year. Online sales have almost doubled since before the pandemic.

But Seasalt, which has more than 1,000 employees, also reported that its stores already had their best year ever.

Chief executive Paul Hayes said this was due in part to the company’s focus on customer service.

Seasalt was founded in 1981 by the Chadwick family, who claim they popped into a small shop in Penzance to buy waterproof jackets on a rainy August day, but ended up buying the shop.

It is majority owned by brothers Leigh, David and Neil Chadwick.

The group has 70 stores in the UK and Ireland and began selling clothing through Marks & Spencer in 2021. Sales through M&S had ‘well exceeded expectations’.