Universal Store Holdings said it has yet to feel the impact of a challenging economic climate and expressed optimism about the future of its fiscal performance.
The group comprising Universal Store, Perfect Stranger, and Cheap Thrills recorded a 14 per cent sales uplift in the first 43 weeks of fiscal 2026. Led by growth in Perfect Stranger, the group’s strong performances offset what it described as a declining wholesale model for Cheap Thrills.
This struggling model – reliant on third-party sellers – was deemed “structural and unlikely to improve”; it accounted for less than 5 per cent of group sales, Universal said, and resulted in a $24 million non-cash impairment.
Despite this blip, the group said it expects full-year sales to land between $368 million and $375 million, representing at least an 11.5 per cent increase on fiscal 2025. It also forecasted earnings between $61.5 million and $64.5 million, a 15.4 per cent increase.
Outgoing CEO, Alice Barbery, is upbeat about these figures.
“The group’s (year-to-date) performance is very pleasing given current geopolitical and economic uncertainties,” Barbery said. “Despite these macro-economic conditions, we have not seen a material shift in sales trends across the group in this period.”
Barbery will end her lengthy tenure atop Universal Store Holdings on October 31, to be replaced by Universal Store and Perfect Stranger CEO George Do.
