SCOTTISH-headquartered footwear chain Schuh is preparing to expand further with a store in Edinburgh's Gyle shopping centre after new openings helped push turnover up 18% and sent it back into profit.
The company, which was acquired by US retail giant Genesco in June 2011, recorded sales of £233 million for the 12 months to the end of January, against £168.7m for the previous 44-week period as it aligned its financial year with its new parent.
This was an 18% increase on a like-for-like basis, the company said, or 11% if only those stores opened for a year are included.
This sent Schuh to a record pre-tax profit of £25.6m for the year, having made a £140,000 loss previously due to the impact of the £125m Genesco takeover.
Mark Crutchley, finance director, said "Performance in the second year of Genesco ownership has flourished, and we have significantly expanded our store estate.
"Like-for-like growth in the year was 11% on top of strong growth in the previous year."
During the year, Livingston-based Schuh opened 16 stores including three children's footwear stores.
One of the children's stores was opened in Glasgow's Braehead shopping centre in October when the company also opened an adult's store next door. Since the end of the financial year it has unveiled three more stores to bring its estate up to 92.
With another eight property deals signed, openings in the coming month will include an outlet at the Gyle shopping centre in Edinburgh, taking its Scottish store numbers to 12.
Schuh was a relatively early mover in online shopping and the company attributes some of its sales success to having dedicated websites for tablets, as well as mobile phones and desktop computers.
"We have focused on making our customers' lives easier with the introduction of a tablet-optimised website and services such as live video chat and check-and-reserve, and our results show that these have resonated well with the customers," Mr Crutchley said.
The chain has now introduced a childrens' range into all its stores.
Schuh was started in Edinburgh in 1981 by businessman Sandy Alexander.
It went into receivership in 1990 after its parent company Goldbergs went bust and had to be rescued by its board of directors, who invested their own money in the firm.
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