J Barbour & Son Ltd, which trades under the brands Barbour, Barbour International and Barbour Beacon, has posted its accounts for the year ended April 30 2020. It achieved a 7.8 per cent lift in revenues to £242.8m, though its operating profit dipped by 14.5 per cent to £35.1m.
Chairman Dame Margaret Barbour said the impacts of Covid-19 had been significant in the final quarter and that, despite revenues showing progress, overall group performance was down. Group revenues had been growing strongly until heavily impacted by the first lockdown.
Steve Buck, managing director at Barbour, said that the business had been growing in all its key markets and product categories before the pandemic struck and said that challenges will continue this year. He was keen to point out that the business continued to support UK manufacturing and had also expanded its sustainability programme with Re-Loved garments, as well as the repair and re-waxing of its jackets, to extend their long life and make them one of the most sustainable garments on the market.
While the firm worked through impacts of the pandemic and Brexit, he outlined how the firm’s staff had pivoted to make PPE gowns and also highlighted how it will be the staff who see the firm through the challenges ahead. He added: “From April–June 2020, we supported the local NHS Trusts by turning our South Shields factory over to make disposable PPE gowns. During this period Barbour made a total of 72,000 items to support the fight against COVID-19. There was no charge from Barbour to the Trusts for any pieces of PPE.
“The Barbour Foundation which supports charitable causes, health and scientific research programmes and women’s groups, primarily in the North East receives its generous funding from the shareholders dividend. Since its inception, The Foundation has donated over £24m to charitable causes.
“Financial year 2020/21 sees unique challenges both in terms of their severity and nature with much retail closed around the world and Brexit bringing significant additional costs and delay. As ever we will rely on the hard work and skill of our staff worldwide to get us through this.”
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