DFS Furniture has seen a boost in sales for Q1 thanks to a shift to spending in home categories.
The living room and upholstered furniture retailer reported gross sales 19 per cent ahead of sales in the same period last year.
And, sales via its online channels were up 76 per cent on last year’s first quarter.
DFS said its performance reflects “the benefit of a shift in spending to home categories” and its market share gains. This contributed to a strong order intake in Q1 and a “resilient” Q2 to date, despite extensive showroom closures in November.
As a result, the retailer said it expects its full-year pre-tax profit to be in the upper half of its current market forecast range.
This is despite ongoing disruption at The Port of Felixstowe and raw materials supply issues from Europe, DFS notes.
Out of the retailer’s 212 showrooms, 52 showrooms in ‘Tier 4’ areas in England, all 7 showrooms in Wales and the 6 Netherlands showrooms are currently closed in line with Government guidance.
DFS notes that its order intake over the first 11 weeks for Q2 is down 5 per cent year-on-year despite the closures.
Tim Stacey, group chief executive, said: “We are working all hours focusing on what we can control to look after our people and our customers. I want to thank our customers for their patience given the ongoing disruption to our deliveries due to port congestion and raw material shortages, as well as apologise to those that have experienced delays.
“While the current environment is clearly unpredictable, our business model is resilient and we are well set for medium term growth.”
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