How Liberty London is outpacing retail’s slowdown

News
 |  
Aug 2025
 |  
Vogue Business
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What: Liberty London reports 6% year-on-year sales growth and 61% increase over pre-Covid levels, driven by successful integration of traditional retail strengths with digital innovation and local customer focus.

Why it is important: This growth validates a retail strategy that prioritizes unique curation and local market focus over global standardization, providing insights for department stores seeking to differentiate themselves.

Liberty London continues to demonstrate strong performance in a challenging retail landscape, with sales growing 6% year-on-year and the business now 61% larger than pre-Covid. The retailer's success stems from its distinctive approach, maintaining its character through wood-panelled rooms and creaking floors while attracting a loyal, primarily local customer base. The store's curation combines major luxury brands with independent designers and its signature prints, creating a more intimate shopping experience than typical department stores. E-commerce has grown from less than 10% pre-Covid to 35% of revenue, focusing on exclusive brands and collaborations. The physical store has seen consistent growth for a decade, with this year showing the strongest performance at 20% above pre-Covid levels. Liberty's in-house brand now accounts for 30% of turnover, while initiatives like its fragrance line LBTY have gained international recognition.

IADS Notes:

Liberty's impressive 6% sales growth and 61% increase over pre-Covid levels reflects its successful transformation strategy. Monocle reported in May 2025 how the retailer maintained its position through careful brand curation and expert staff knowledge , while Fashion Network's November 2024 coverage highlighted strong financial performance with revenue reaching £123.9 million . The retailer's channel expansion was demonstrated by its first scent pop-up at Battersea Power Station in October 2024 , complementing its e-commerce growth to 35% of revenue. The Financial Times reported in July 2025 that Liberty's brand strength extends internationally, with Japanese fabric sales alone generating £13 million . This success is further enhanced by experiential initiatives, as seen in The Standard's March 2025 coverage of the new "Seventy Five" restaurant concept , showing how Liberty successfully combines heritage appeal with modern retail innovation.


How Liberty London is outpacing retail’s slowdown