As we welcome 2025, I want to take a moment to celebrate what has been an extraordinary year for our Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) journey. 2024 marked our first full year of implementing the DTC initiative as part of the Perform 2030 Strategic Plan, and I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made together.
Celebrating Key Achievements
This year, we hit some major milestones together:
- Successfully launched seven Shopify websites this year – all delivered on time.
- Improved overall user experience, resulting in doubled Conversion Rates across all new sites.
- Achieved an impressive 80% growth in sales on our brand websites compared to 2023.
These accomplishments are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaborative efforts of the entire team. Thank you for your contributions to this journey so far.
Exciting Team Updates for 2025
Looking ahead, we remain committed to building on this momentum and continuing the growth of our DTC initiatives. I am thrilled to share that Stephanie Eldred will join the DTC team as Senior DTC Ecommerce Manager – UK & EU upon her return from maternity leave in January 2025. Stephanie will:
- Lead the development and implementation of our DTC ecommerce strategy through close collaboration with the commercial, brand, and digital strategy teams across the UK and EU.
- Shape the flagship store experience for our UK and EU-based brands.
Stephanie’s extensive experience from her UK-based role and her time as Global Senior Communications Manager within the Winsor & Newton brand team will be invaluable in advancing our DTC initiatives.
Recognising Leadership and Team Contributions
I’d like to take this opportunity to celebrate the team that has driven our successes this year:
- Ellie Deakin will continue as Head of Global DTC Ecommerce, leading the global strategy and ensuring our ambitions are realised across all markets. Thank you, Ellie, for your outstanding leadership and vision.
- Crystal Noble and Rachel Kozak, our Ecommerce Managers in the UK and North America respectively, have been instrumental in executing our strategy on the ground. As part of our evolving structure:
- Rachel will continue reporting to Ellie.
- Crystal will transition to report to Stephanie in the new year.
Your efforts and achievements this year have set a high bar, and I’m confident we’ll continue reaching new heights as a team.
Looking Forward
Our first full year in the DTC space has shown us what’s possible, and I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead in 2025. With the continued dedication of this incredible team, the strong collaboration across all departments, and the addition of Stephanie to our DTC leadership group, I’m confident we will achieve even greater success in the years to come.
Kevin Lee
Global Ecommerce Director
Great achievements, Kevin, Ellie and team, huge congrats for this well managed foundation year ! And so much more to build this in 2025.
Going DTC is the best way to have direct impact on our creative consumers and fully leverage the inspiring power of our brands, you successfully brought in to life in 2024.
You have my full support to accelerate in 2025