// Overall sales up 3.7%
// 8% increase in site visits, totalling 107.3m
// Performance boosted by 8.8% revenue increase from Very
Shop Direct has attributed an impressive performance from its Very fascia and an extended Black Friday promotional period for the strong sales it recorded over the crucial Christmas period.
Sales at the retail company, which operates online retailers Very and Littlewoods, increased 3.7 per cent year-on-year for the seven week-period ending December 28.
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Shop Direct said year-on-year revenue growth was underpinned by a positive performance across all four group product categories – clothing and footwear, electrical, seasonal, and furniture and homeware.
It also attributed the 107.3 million site visits it recorded, an eight per cent increase year-on-year, and an extended Black Friday sales period that covered November 9-27 compared to last year’s November 13-28.
Between its two fascias, Very was a standout performer, with revenue growing 8.8 per cent year-on-year.
“I am delighted that against a challenging retail backdrop we delivered a record Christmas period in terms of total revenue whilst maintaining retail margin rate in line with last year,” Shop Direct chief executive Henry Birch said.
“Throughout our peak trading period we focused on delivering a great customer experience and curating the right deals for our customers and our business during our extended Black Friday event.
“We put more emphasis on December than ever before and saw encouraging growth in key departments like sportswear and toys.
“Looking ahead to 2019, we’ll focus on continuing to play an important role in the lives of our customers – those who value our unique combination of leading brands and the flexibility to spread the cost of purchases.
“Given the potential impact of the political backdrop on consumer spending, we expect the year will be challenging for retailers. However, our peak trading performance gives us reason for cautious optimism.”
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