Lilly Pulitzer CEO Celebrates 60 Years of 'Making People Happy'
*By Conor White*
A so-called "retail apocalypse" may be underway, but not at Lilly Pulitzer.
The clothing brand famous for its bright colors, hand-painted prints, and resort wear is stronger than ever, according to its CEO.
"What made the brand take off in the 1960s ー the fundamentals are still there today," Michelle Kelly said Thursday in an interview on Cheddar.
Lilly Pulitzer is celebrating 60 years with a new store on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach, Fla. ー but its mission remains the same.
"We are focused on our customer," Kelly said.
Total revenue growth of the Oxford Industries-owned ($OXM) brand was up 3.1 percent in the second quarter of 2018, and up over 5 percent in the first six months of the year. The company has been able to sustain its growth without discounting items or lowering base prices.
"We really focus on full-price integrity," Kelly said.
"We believe that if a customer loves Lilly, we want to make something that will delight her at full-price."
Among those full-price items ーand one of the reasons sales are up ー are swimsuits. The company recently brought the pieces back after pausing their production for years.
"We really kept hearing from our customer that you can't pack for a vacation completely without having a great Lilly Pulitzer swimsuit," Kelly said.
With sales up and new stores opening, Lilly Pulitzer doesn't see any reason to change its strategy ー and beyond the bottom line, there's another major reason it's doing so well.
"It makes people happy," Kelly said. "Who doesn't want more of that right now?"
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/lilly-pulitzer-ceo-talks-60-years-in-business).
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