LOS ANGELES — Australian lingerie brand Honey Birdette doubled its global sales on Valentine's Day compared to last year, according to company CEO Kim Kidd.
"2024 was a year of transformation — learning, resetting, and defining our future strategy," Kidd told Ragtrader. "We did everything differently."
As a result, he said, the company set new benchmarks across all regions, "surpassing expectations on all fronts."
The sales bump could not have come at a better time, as Honey Birdette was nearly sold last year by its parent company, PLBY Group, whose CEO Ben Kohn said that his long-term vision for the company didn't include the lingerie brand.
Following two consecutive quarters of positive sales growth, Honey Birdette's revenue decreased by $3.8 million in Q2 of 2024, according to Ragtrader. A few months later, PLBY Group listed Honey Birdette as a "discontinued operation" for Q3 — never a good sign.
However, by January 2025, PLBY Group had decided not to sell Honey Birdette due to "meaningful improvements" in the company's operational metrics and the increased strength of its own balance sheet.
To capitalize on Valentine's Day, Honey Birdette created a marketing campaign to showcase its bestselling products, and the company also hosted a pair of events in Sydney and Miami that brought out plenty of influencers.
Kidd told Ragtrader that Honey Birdette really focused on the customer experience this season, offering fast deliveries and a wide range of sizes.
"Our designers curated a [Valentine’s Day] collection that catered to every customer, whether they were shopping for themselves or someone special," she said, singling out the company's hot-pink bondage collection, Jasmin, as a top seller this year.
"At the heart of everything we do is our product,” Kidd told Ragtrader. "We are continually pushing boundaries across stores and online — however, this Valentine’s, we focused on ensuring both channels worked seamlessly together."
PLBY Group is slated to release its Q4 and full-year results in late March. Those numbers could shed further light on why it decided to reverse course on selling Honey Birdette.
