Sosandar sees high demand for casual working from home clothing

Demand for smart clothes often seen in the boardroom has fallen, with sales of shorts and casual dresses on the up as people embrace working from home, womenswear retailer Sosandar has said.

The online company, popular with workers in the capital, reported a 54% sales surge for the three months to June. July revenue was 57% up on a year earlier.

During the first quarter, many people were working from home in lockdown, and online was the main way to get fashion as “non-essential” retailers were only allowed to reopen from June 15.

Julie Lavington, joint chief executive of Sosandar told the Evening Standard: “There has been a big shift in what customers are buying. There has been much less corporate-style clothing sold. Instead we have seen a large rise in people buying more comfy and casual outfits for working from home.”

Lavington pointed to a surge in sales of shorts, knitwear and casual dresses in the first quarter.

Shares in the AIM-listed firm, which said full-year sales doubled to £9 million, rose 8.7% to 19.84p.

It recorded a £7.8 million operating loss compared to a £3.5 million loss a year earlier after a number of investments into growing the business, including a higher spend on marketing.