The Very Group has reported “strong Christmas trading growth” over the key festive period, driven by its home and toys, gifts & beauty categories.
In the seven weeks to 27 December 2024, sales at core brand Very rose 2.3% year-on-year, with overall group retail sales up 0.5%.
Excluding the impact of Nike sales, Very UK sales rose by 4.5%, and group sales grew by 2.8%.
“Following Nike’s decision to switch to a direct-to-consumer model, we have included results excluding Nike sales from both the current and prior year to remove distortion caused by the winding down of Nike stock,” said the retailer.
Home was the standout category, jumping 15% year-on-year, while toys, gifts & beauty climbed 7.3%. Fashion & sports also saw growth, up 2.9% overall, or 11.2% when excluding the impact of Nike.
Although electricals dipped 2.1% due to a tough comparison with last year’s gaming console launches, demand for Apple products and computing remained strong.
Group retail sales, which include Littlewoods and Very Ireland, grew 0.5% year-on-year or 2.8% excluding Nike, while the group anticipates year-to-date adjusted EBITDA growth of between 16% and 18%, reflecting strong trading and ongoing cost management.
Games consoles, Ninja Foodi air fryers, and perfumes were among the top-selling items, while bestsellers by volume included Silentnight pillows, LEGO Disney Stitch sets, and Marc Jacobs fragrances.
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The Very Group CEO Robbie Feather said: “Christmas is a special time for our customers, and we at The Very Group are proud to help families make the most of the festive period.
“We’re delighted with our strong peak trading performance, which has been made possible thanks to the determination of our brilliant team who focus on helping families get more out of life, all while continuously enhancing the online shopping experience.
“By bringing together our amazing assortment of products with compelling deals and our best-in-class fulfilment operation, we delivered growth in almost all categories, with games consoles, air fryers and perfume among our best sellers.”
The retailer’s fulfilment centre, Skygate, processed 6.9 million items during the peak period, with a record 218,000 items handled on 29 November.
It said the fastest order was processed and dispatched in just 16 minutes. Despite the high demand, Very maintained next-day delivery services, with a cut-off of 7pm on 23 December for pre-Christmas delivery.
Feather noted that while shoppers delayed purchases until later in the season, momentum carried through into Boxing Day and January sales.
“Looking ahead, we remain focused on the rest of 2025, which we expect will remain highly competitive. We are confident that our proposition, which combines multi-category digital retail and flexible ways to pay, will continue to be valued by our customers, providing them with a one-stop-shop for everything they need,” he said.
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