// Dunelm had a “particularly strong quarter” amid like-for-like and total sales increase
// For its first quarter, total like-for-like sales jumped 6.4% to £255.6m
// Total group revenue rose 5.8% to £262.6m
Dunelm has hailed a “particularly strong” first quarter after it boosted sales on the back of new store openings, an online push and organic growth.
However, shares in the furniture and homewares retailer took a hit in early trading after it warned that trading in September was “mixed” due to a “softer” market.
For its first quarter period ending September 28, Dunelm saw total like-for-like sales across its stores and ecommerce arm surge 6.4 per cent to £255.6 million.
Like-for-likes for the retailer’s store estate on its own increased 2.9 per cent year-on-year to £219.9 million, while online sales jumped 34.7 per cent to to £35.7 million.
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Total group sales on the hand, which factors in closed businesses in the company, increased 5.8 per cent year-on-year to £262.6 million.
Dunelm said it was continuing to test its new digital platform “with a small percentage of our customers”, with the intention of transferring all web traffic to the new site before Christmas.
“We are pleased with our performance in the first quarter, building on the strong growth delivered over the last year,” chief executive Nick Wilkinson said.
“Our customers continue to respond well to our specialist product and service offering and we are excited by the numerous opportunities ahead of us.
“Despite the recent softness in the homeware market and the increased political uncertainty, we are confident we can continue to win market share and our expectations for the full year remain unchanged.”
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