Agent Provocateur usually serves elegant women keen to feel sexy in its quality lingerie offering. But chief executive Garry Hogarth expects all his customers at the retailer’s London boutiques today to be men.
He said: “We have a business that is by women for women, with women making up 75% of our customers. But today it will definitely be 100% men as they pick up a last-minute gift.”
His prediction comes as the company revealed sales jumped 25% to £39 million in the financial year to the end of March, with underlying profits up 55% to £6.2 million. Hogarth said sales are rising at the same rate this year.
Next year the company, owned by private equity group 3i, will hit a milestone of 100 stores, with a site in Hawaii most likely to be the location.
Its new mid-priced range, L’Agent, designed by Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz and her sister Monica, has proved so successful that Hogarth expects it to become bigger than the rest of the company in the next few years as it is sold wholesale through department stores. Hogarth said: “Monica Cruz did a campaign for us and asked for a meeting with me and her sister. You can’t really turn that down can you?
“They both told me they love the brand and said their lingerie came from us, so we asked them to help out. It’s not just celebrities taking some money; they really do get involved. They come in, look at the colours, bring in their own vintage pieces for inspiration, and talk to the designers.”
