Seasalt looks to the US for expansion

Seasalt, the Cornish-based fashion retailer, is looking to the US for expansion having secured stockist deals with 150 independent boutiques in America.

The brand's CEO Paul Hayes said the brand had focused its efforts on stockists along the Eastern seaboard of the country and had targeted independent stores in light of the well publicised travails of American department stores.

In addition the company has its sights set on New Zealand and Australia having launched a distributor partnership with the New Zealand department store Ballantyne.

Seasalt was founded in 1981 by Midlands retailer Don Chadwick and his son Neil, who bought a workwear shop in Penzance having visited it while on holiday. Womenswear was launched in 2005.

Today Seasalt is one of Cornwall's largest employers and has 70 stores across the country.

News of its planned expansion in the US comes on the back of strong Christmas trading when sales increased by 14% in the five weeks to 4 January.