Record sales for Dunelm in last quarter
Homewares group Dunelm, which has stores in the Black Country, Shropshire and Staffordshire, saw sales rise 13 per cent to a record £407 million in the 13 weeks to Christmas Day.
They were up £46 million a year before and £84m compared to 2020.
Digital sales have doubled since the pre-Covid comparative period in 2020, but with all channels open during the quarter, digital sales penetration returned to a more normalised level of 33 per cent.
Dunelm expects profit before tax for the first half of its financial year to be approximately £140m from £112m a year before.
Chief executive Nick Wilkinson said: "We are delighted with our ongoing strong performance, which demonstrates the growing appeal of our homewares offer and includes some standout contributions from our furniture and seasonal categories. I would like to thank our fantastic colleagues and supplier partners for their ongoing commitment to serving our customers in the face of continued Covid challenges and industry-wide supply chain disruption.
"Our integrated physical and digital shopping experience has transformed since we launched our new digital platform in October 2019. These advances have enabled us to reach more customers with our brand and specialist homewares product range, whilst also providing a much improved customer experience. Our digital platform and capabilities also give us more confidence and ambition for the future.
"Whilst there are several macro uncertainties to be navigated, we feel well placed to continue to deliver profitable growth across all channels and grow market share as the first choice for home for UK home lovers."
