Dunelm is one of a number of retailers posting broadly flat like-for-likes for the challenging 13 week period to 30th June. Overall revenues for the quarter showed a 0.1 per cent increase which included 41.8 per cent growth in its online sales. It was store performance which faltered with a drop in footfall leading to a 4.6 per cent decline in store sales.
The retailer which also operates Worldstores and Kiddicare plans to drop the standalone Kiddicare website in the first quarter of 2019 having found that it can better develop a childrens category under its main Dunelm brand. Meanwhile the retailer plans to migrate its Dunelm.com website to the Worldstores technology platform during the year. It has already divested the Achica brand, as previously reported.
The business is forecasting its full year PBT to be around £102 million before exceptional items which will include trading losses relating to the Worldstores businesses of around £8.5 million.
Nick Wilkinson, Dunelm CEO commented: “I am delighted to have joined Dunelm as it gathers pace on the journey to becoming a truly multichannel business. I firmly believe that our homewares authority, combined with our increasing ability to adapt to evolving consumer trends, means that there is very significant potential for growth of the Dunelm brand. We have expanded our customer reach and digital capabilities significantly over the last twelve months and will continue to do so as we exploit the technology assets which we acquired with Worldstores.”
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