DFS posts strong half year sales
Furniture retailer DFS has said its order intake in the first half of its financial year was materially ahead of the comparative period two years ago, pre-pandemic.
However, the performance in the 26 weeks to 26 December was lower than the exceptional period a year ago when the retailer benefited from pent-up demand following the Covid-19 lockdown.
The retailer said gross sales were up 10% on the same period in 2019 and that its current order intake performance remains strong, with the post-Christmas trading period starting well.
DFS chief executive Tim Stacey said: “I would once again like to thank all of our colleagues, who have shown tremendous spirit, resilience and commitment to our group to deliver such a strong start to the financial year.
“While the market remains hard to predict, we believe our scale, brand strength and integrated retail strategy will allow us to drive market share gains ahead of the competition.”
DFS’s expectations for full year profits remain unchanged.
Looking ahead Stacey said: “We will continue to invest in our digital platforms and our showrooms, our delivery network, our UK manufacturing capacity, and with expansion into other home categories, we are well positioned to succeed.”
