UK's Warpaint strong as US trade soars, Very Vegan launch pays off

By

Sandra Halliday

Published
Jun 26, 2017

The people who own tiny chunks of UK beauty company Warpaint London didn't seem verey pleased on Monday as the firm’s shares fell around 11% even though it issued an upbeat statement. The release actually said very little interns of tangible figures, but it did at least confirm that its growth story is continuing even if Europe remains sluggish.

The company is holding its Annual General Meeting on Monday and said that chairman Clive Garston would be talking at the AGM about ongoing buoyant trading at the firm.

He would say that the company continues to trade in line with expectations and so far in 2017 has seen “encouraging growth” across all its sales territories worldwide, apart from Europe “where sales remain similar to the corresponding period in 2016.”

And importantly, sales in the world’s largest make-up market, the USA, have continued to grow in double-digits.
The company is certainly one to watch and if its rate of growth continues, it could get much bigger very fast in a similar way to some fashion-focused growth stories such as Boohoo, Quiz and Missguided.

While its core offer is the W7 brand, the company is also expanding its portfolio of labels and recently launched its Very Vegan range that taps into a key growth area in consumer products.

On Monday it said that early sales, while “modest in the context of the group, have been encouraging.” It also said it will continue to “innovate and look for further opportunities to introduce new products into our mix.”

The company added that its e-commerce strategy remains on track and is a growing contributor to the group. Supported by celebrity endorsements, particularly through social media, it expects the importance of online sales to continue to grow.

And while the share price may not be that interesting to many people who buy its products, the company did also say that its listing on London’s Alternative Investment Market (AIM) last year was hugely important. It has helped “the recognition and development of the W7 brand globally,” Warpaint said.