August M
Speculation around Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand has intensified after reports suggested her products may already be generating multi-million-pound revenues.
Online discussion, media reporting and insider commentary have combined to paint a picture of a business expanding faster than many expected.
Strong demand
Meghan Markle’s As Ever range is being described as a commercial success, with reports suggesting products have been selling at a rapid pace.
According to coverage by The Sun and the Daily Express, figures that briefly circulated online appeared to point to high sales volumes across several product lines.
Those numbers were not officially released by the company, but they have fuelled claims that the duchess’s business is performing well beyond an initial launch phase.
Sales estimates
Among the figures shared online were claims relating to Meghan’s Signature Fruit Spread Box, which was shown as having just over 137,000 units remaining from a much larger production run.
At a retail price of £31 ($42), that prompted estimates that sales of the product alone could total around £26.7 million, if the remaining stock reflected unsold inventory.
Neither Meghan nor As Ever has confirmed the accuracy of the figures or commented on sales totals.
Insider reaction
A source described as having inside knowledge of the business told the Daily Express that the circulating data pointed to unusually strong demand.
“While it’s normal for a business not to talk about sales data, I think it’s fair to say that the glitch that led to this data being revealed, points to a business that isn’t just successful, it’s flying – literally off the shelf,” the source said.
“Meghan inadvertently revealed in a recent interview a purchase order of 1 million – for one product!”
Expansion plans
The same source said the scale of the initial stock order aligned with international expansion plans Meghan has discussed publicly.
“It doesn’t take a genius to work out that what is left points to a company doing extremely well,” the source added, suggesting further increases in production could be needed as the brand enters new markets.
As Ever has since updated its website to limit the number of items customers can purchase in a single order and has not addressed the reports directly.
Meghan’s comments
Meghan previously spoke about rapid sell-outs during an interview with Bloomberg’s The Circuit, reflecting on how demand exceeded expectations.
“We prepped for the second seasonal drop and ten-exed (multiplied by a factor of 10) our inventory. We thought for sure it would at least last for a couple of weeks – that sold out in a couple of hours,” she said.
“The conversation goes from at the start of this year talking about a few thousand jars and lids to, ‘we need to do a purchase order of a million’.”
Sources: Daily Express, The Sun, Bloomberg
