Dunelm trading boosted by popularity of seasonal ranges
Dunelm has posted an 18% uplift in second quarter sales following the popularity of its autumn/winter ranges.
In the 13 weeks to 31 December, the homewares retailer recorded total sales of £478 million to mark an increase of 48% on pre-pandemic levels three years ago.
Dunelm achieved strong growth both in-store and online, with digital sales making up 35% of total sales in the quarter. The retailer said online sales growth was particularly strong in the late autumn and run-up to Christmas.
Nick Wilkinson, Dunelm chief executive, said: “We have delivered another strong performance and the relevance of Dunelm’s value offering has really come to the fore.
“Customers have enjoyed shopping our ‘Winter Warm’ ranges as they find innovative ways to manage rising heating costs. Our Christmas assortment also proved popular as customers prepared their homes for the festive period.
“It is a difficult time for many people in our communities, so we were delighted to significantly grow our ‘delivering joy’ campaign this year, resulting in over 60,000 Christmas gifts being donated by customers and colleagues to local causes.”
The quarter’s results mean that Dunelm’s first half sales rose by 5% to £835 million.
Dunelm said its guidance for its full year remains unchanged from its preliminary results announcement in September with pre-tax profit for the year coming in above current market expectations.
Wilkinson added: “We are deeply conscious of the challenges which everyone is facing and remain focussed on making every pound count across our entire offer, so customers can feel confident in receiving outstanding value whatever their budget or taste.”
