Matalan’s overall sales were down by 11.2 per cent for the five weeks ended 2nd January, coming in at £119.2 million. By way of consolation, its online sales rose by 84 per cent over the Christmas period. However, the quarter leading up to the Christmas period saw overall sales drop by 21.4 per cent to £244.8 million.
“Today’s results reflect the severe Covid-19 related disruption to store trading throughout November as government restrictions required us to close completely or trade only ‘essential’ ranges within stores,” explained Matalan’s executive chair, Steve Johnson. “This followed a period of robust Autumn trading in September and October, within which full-price sales grew against last year and customers continued to feel comfortable and reassured in our large, convenient and safe store environments.”
“Since Christmas, the Covid-19 landscape has deteriorated significantly with all of our UK stores once again mandated to close from January 4th, for an uncertain duration.”
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