N Brown sizes it up right at £58m

WOMEN aged 40 and over and size 16 or above are the new growth market in the youth-dominated fashion world, according to home shopping group N Brown.

'Rather than using size 10 models, we have been using older women of the same size as the target market, and it has gone down very well with customers. Sales of our Simply Be catalogue doubled to £15m last year,' chief executive Jim Martin said.

Martin, one of the retail world's longest-serving chief executives, will hand over later this year to Alan White, a former finance director of N Brown poached back from rival Littlewoods. Martin will become deputy chairman.

He bowed out on a high note today, with news of a 12.4% increase in profits to £58.5m for the year to 2 March, on turnover 14.2% higher at £449m. Earnings per share rose 12.4% to 14.5p and the dividend total is up 10.6% to 5.75p. Turnover in the first 10 weeks of the current financial year is ahead by 6%.

Martin said the group had again increased its share of the £10bn-a-year home shopping market and would continue to target specific groups of customers with specialist direct catalogues.

As well as the larger-sized, older market, the group is also aiming at 'younger' customers, which it defines as those in the 30 to 45 age bracket. It has also increased its ranges of household and electrical appliances, which now account for about 31% of home shopping sales, up from 24% two years ago.

Martin believes the trend away from traditional 'big book' catalogues towards smaller, more-specialist ones will continue.