N Brown sets its sights on US women

Young, plus-size American women looking for fashionable clothes are the new target for N Brown, it said today.

The group has studied the US market and decided that young, fashion-conscious women are perfect for its Simply Be brand and has created a team to conquer the States. It is targeting $100 million (£59.1 million) sales by 2020.

The catalogue and online business reported group sales for the year to March up 6.4% to £834.9 million while pre-tax profits jumped by 5.3% to £100.1 million — breaking the £100 million barrier for the first time. But the results missed forecasts due to investments in the US and store openings.

The group is opening up to 25-30 stores across the UK including one on Oxford Street in September.