Dunelm boosted by ‘very strong’ first quarter trading
Homewares retailer Dunelm saw its total sales climb by 36.7% to £359.1 million in its first quarter
The retailer had previously reported in September that trading in the first two months of the quarter had been ahead of expectations and today said trading in the final month of the period was “very strong”.
Online sales were particularly bouyant and accounted for 29.7% of the quarter’s total sales compared to 17.6% in the same period last year.
As a result, Dunelm has now decided to repay any funding received under the Goverment’s Job Retention Scheme provided there is no further material Covid-19 related impact during the winter months.
Since the end of the previous financial year, Dunelm has opened new stores in Sunderland and Clydebank, both of which are relocations. It has also added new features to its digital offering such as product recommendations and ‘track my order’ and increased capacity in fulfilment and warehousing ahead of the peak Christmas trading period.
Nick Wilkinson, Dunelm’s chief executive, said: “We are really pleased with our very strong performance in the first quarter, with customers responding well to the Dunelm offer across all product categories, both in-store and online. Recent months have seen homewares become even more relevant, as people spend more time in their homes up and down the country.”
Looking ahead, Dunelm said it was unable to give any meaningful guidance for its outlook due to uncertainty regarding further Covid-19 restrictions and the implications for the UK economy.
Wilkinson added: “While we remain cautious about the continued uncertainty in the wider market, the resilience and flexibility of our business model leaves us well positioned as we enter our peak trading period and we remain confident in our ability to grow market share and help even more customers create a home
they love.”
