Australian-based fashion company Universal Store Holdings has recorded a strong start to fiscal 2027 following a boom in performance at its Perfect Stranger brand.

The ASX-listed retailer told investors that the first 17 weeks of the new financial year have brought a 9.3 per cent increase in direct-to-consumer sales year-on-year. Total sales at its flagship Universal Store brand are up by 6.6 per cent across the same period, while Perfect Stranger has risen by 36.8 per cent.

Cheap Thrills Cycle (CTC), the company behind the Thrills brand, lifted its total sales by 2.9 per cent.

“It has been a pleasing start to the year, with positive LFL (like-for-like) growth in a challenging macroeconomic environment and against strong prior-year comparatives,” said group CEO, Alice Barbery. 

“Gross margins remain robust with our disciplined pricing strategy and expansion of the Perfect Stranger retail format. The group is well positioned heading into the peak trading period with healthy inventory and a customer-centric mindset.”

At the end of the previous fiscal year, Universal Store Holdings promised to investors that it would begin ramping up its planned store expansion. This has led to the opening of five stores in the past 17 weeks, with up to 20 promised by the end of the financial year.

The group plans to open seven of those new stores by Christmas.

Perfect Stranger’s growth was credited to “increasing brand awareness and favourable category mix”, adding that Universal Store locations – often situated nearby – aren’t impacting the women’s-focused clothing brand.