The E2E Profit 100 celebrates leading UK suit retailer, Moss

Moss, (previously known as Moss Bros) is a continued leader in suiting, providing versatile menswear with intention, expertise and ‘next level’ detail. Tailoring shapes everything the business does, showing their loyal customers how to make the very best of themselves. The Moss Bros name goes back 172 years (1851) to when Moses Moss opened two stores in Covent Garden. Moss are immensely proud of their heritage and have been the go-to menswear retailer for special occasions and general tailoring needs for millions of customers over that time. However, times have changed and the brand offers so much more than just formalwear today. While the holding company remains the same (Moss Bros Group Ltd), from a customer facing perspective, the brand has dropped ‘Bros’ and is simply known as Moss. Moss can now be seen on the facias of their new stores, on moss.co.uk, across socials and throughout all marketing communication as well as the product. This move reflects the modern, more diverse, digital, omni-channel retailer that Moss are today. A business that now provides a much broader offer than just ‘hire’ and has a completely new rebranded and redesigned look and feel. The transformation of the business continues at pace, something that started pre-covid. Lockdowns and the lifting of restrictions provided an opportunity for the brand to refocus and meet the changing needs of today’s customer – a strategy that clearly paid dividends. Evolving and evaluating what the MOSS brand stands for is essential. It serves the needs of an existing base, while at the same time enticing new customers who hadn’t considered the brand in the past. Post lockdown, insight showed that consumers were looking for more versatility when it came to their wardrobe. This represented a mixing of formalwear and casual stylish solutions.

Moss listens to their customers and feedback was that they want physical stores backed up with a strong ecommerce offering. As such, the brand are committed to the High Street and the role that their stores and style advisors play in delivering the best brand experience for their customer audience.

Moss reported a 63% rise in sales to £151.6 million for the 12 months to 28 January 2023, driven by strong demand for weddings and other events. EBITDA [Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization] more than doubled to £36m during the year, compared to £17m in the previous year. No other competitors are delivering retail growth like Moss, with 6 new stores opened this year so far (108 stores in total) and more to come under the new Moss rebranding. In August 2023, a new 3083 sqft rebranded store opened in Manchester and in September 2023, three new rebranded, redesigned stores launched in Fenchurch Street, Canterbury and Cheltenham.

“We have completely reimagined the product offering for the way our customers are living today. We’ve also pivoted from a formal hire business that sold tailoring to a menswear fashion brand that sells suiting, complemented by smart casualwear, while offering a rental service.“ said Brian Brick, CEO, Moss. "As I said last year, we have seen consumer behaviours continue to change. The key to our success has been the ability to remain agile and meet the evolving wants and needs of our menswear audience. This approach remains the central pillar to our growth and for what Moss stands for both now and in the future.”

The Autumn / Winter 2023 collection is transformative for Moss, reflecting the modern retailer they are today. With the new rebrand, everything is stripped back to show off the product in a simplified and modern way. Taking cue from winters embraced in the great British outdoors, AW23 offers up a curation of colour, textures and considered pieces that will set you up for the season – and lay the foundation of a wardrobe you’ll be wearing a whole lot longer. The collection has a consistent look and feel, celebrating core product that is versatile, can be mixed and matched and encouraging a conscious approach to styling by prioritizing wearability and sustainability. Moss has embraced relaxed silhouettes, soft tailoring, bold colours and luxurious fabrics. This season introduces a new level of sophistication to casual dressing, providing elevated looks for everyday style. Rugged knits and scaled up outerwear take on the elements. A stand-out hero piece is the double-breasted boucle coat available in vibrant red.

View the complete E2E Profit 100 track here.