Dunelm Q1 sales rise 1.1% to £433m as trading strengthens
Dunelm grew it total sales by 1.1% year-on-year to £433 million in its first quarter, with trade strengthening as the 13-week period ending 26 September progressed.
The homewares retailer said sales were down around 3% year-on-year in the first six weeks due to this summer’s heatwave, but grew by 4% in the final seven weeks. However, store like-for-like sales were down 0.8% across the quarter.
Subscribe to TRBSome of the best performing categories included Made to Measure, which delivered double-digit growth, and Cook and Dine, thanks to the success of recent range reviews and product refreshes. Dunelm said trading was also boosted by the return of The Great British Bake Off.
The retailer continued to make operational improvements in the quarter. Following successful early trials, RFID is now live in a small number of stores, with coverage extended across the majority of key categories.
Last month, Dunelm announced a new three year growth plan called Winning Hearts & Homes as it looked to accelerate s growth through improved customer loyalty and spend.
Commenting on the first quarter performance, Clo Moriarty, chief executive of Dunelm, said: “I’m encouraged by the momentum we built as the quarter progressed, following the impact of the exceptionally warm weather.
“We are making good progress with Winning Hearts & Homes, our plan to build a bigger, better and bolder Dunelm.
“We’re taking clear actions to build a stronger customer proposition and create the capabilities needed to support our long-term growth. The early signs are encouraging and reinforce our confidence in the opportunity ahead.”
Dunelm said its expectations for its full year adjusted pre-tax profit remain unchanged and broadly in line with FY26, although it currently expects this to be lower than the prior year for the first half.
Moriarty said: “As customers turn to cosy evenings, seasonal celebrations and spending more time at home, we’re looking forward to helping them enjoy those moments through our peak trading period.”
