Citizen UK achieved a record year in 2013 with sell through at the watch brand up 9.9% year on year.
The success of last year follows on from a strong performance in 2012, which also delivered record-breaking trading results at the time.
Citizen UK has credited the rise in sales to an increase in marketing activities. The brand upped its marketing budget by 17% year on year in 2013.
Marketing activity deployed throughout 2013 included print, outdoor and digital advertising as well as a TV ad campaign on ITV, Lifetime and SkySports and a digital wall campaign in malls around the UK. Star of the brand’s ad campaigns last year was cricket star and Citizen ambassador Kevin Pietersen.
The brand also placed more emphasis on building its online profile in 2013, something that the brand said will continue this year. Facebook was an important medium for Citizen UK last year with its fan base on the social media site growing significantly to exceed 100,000, and its most popular post of the year being viewed by 170,000 people.
Citizen UK managing director Mark Robinson said: “We have fantastic retail partners that support and invest in the brand without whom the success we’ve had over the years would not have been possible.
"However, expectations are now extremely high for the brand and, with Basel in our sights, we are putting the finishing touches to an exciting and innovative product launch. Couple this with one of our most aggressive marketing campaigns to date, new eye-catching and impactful point of sale display materials and we have the recipe for another successful year. Rest assured there’ll be a few surprises along the way too.”
