Online Fashion Outlet Otrium Raises $120 Mln ahead of US Launch

Amsterdam-based Otrium said that its revenues had tripled in 2020. (Otrium)
Amsterdam-based Otrium said that its revenues had tripled in 2020. (Otrium)
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Online Fashion Outlet Otrium Raises $120 Mln ahead of US Launch

Amsterdam-based Otrium said that its revenues had tripled in 2020. (Otrium)
Amsterdam-based Otrium said that its revenues had tripled in 2020. (Otrium)

Otrium, an online outlet store for fashion brands, said on Wednesday it had raised $120 million from investors as it launches in the United States and develops its platform for trading items left unsold at the end of the season.

Amsterdam-based Otrium said that its revenues had tripled in 2020, while its registered members topped 3 million and it has over 300 fashion stores on its app. Its partners include Karl Lagerfeld, Joseph, Anine Bing, Belstaff, Reiss and ASICS.

"Our goal is to get as close as possible to eradicating unsold seasonal inventory," said Milan Daniels, CEO and co-founder of Otrium.

The Series C investment round was led by BOND and Index Ventures, with continued backing from existing investor Eight Roads Ventures, Otrium said in a statement.



Burberry Shows Early Signs of Recovery as 1st Quarter Sales Fall Less than Expected

FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023.  REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
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Burberry Shows Early Signs of Recovery as 1st Quarter Sales Fall Less than Expected

FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023.  REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: A Burberry store is seen in London, Britain, January 16, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo

Burberry's retail sales fell by a less-than-expected 1% in the first quarter, it reported on Friday, in early signs of a recovery for the British luxury brand struggling with underperformance.

Shares in Burberry, which have more than doubled since September, rose 5% in early London trade.

Known for its trench coats and check pattern scarves, Burberry is using its British heritage designs to try to win back customers under the leadership of CEO Josh Schulman, who took over a year ago.

Comparable sales returned to growth in Europe, the company said, while trading in the Americas strengthened. Sales fell in China and in the rest of Asia, but the rate of decline was around half the level seen in the previous quarter.

"The improvement in our first-quarter comparable sales, strength in our core categories, and uptick in brand desirability give us conviction in the path ahead," Schulman said, adding that the autumn collection was being "well received".

Burberry has issued several profit warnings in recent years, and as part of its turnaround drive since Schulman took over, it plans to cut a fifth of its global workforce, a radical cost-cutting measure that investors have welcomed.

The 1% drop in overall comparable retail sales in the first quarter, which ended on June 28, beat analysts' forecasts for a 3% decline in a consensus provided by the company, and improved on a 6% fall in the previous quarter.

According to Reuters, analysts at Citi said the brand had reported its third consecutive quarter of like-for-like improvement since Schulman launched its new strategy last November, implying comparable sales could turn positive in the current quarter.

"In a quarter marked by further macro and geopolitical pressures and weaker tourist spending in Europe and Japan, Burberry has likely held up better than peers quarter-on-quarter," they said.