Very delivers strong Christmas performance
Very has posted a 2.2% uplift in retail sales in the lead-up to Christmas after trade was boosted by the popularity of games consoles and Ninja air fryers.
While sales in the toys, gifts and beauty categories increased by 17.7% in the seven weeks to 23 December, home and electrical sales grew by 10.2% and 1.4% respectively.
In contrast, sales in the fashion and sports category fell by 6.6% despite growth in womenswear and menswear.
Including Littlewoods, group retail sales declined by 1.3% year-on-year.
Very Group said the fastest order of Christmas 2022 was processed in 10 minutes, 30 seconds at its highly automated fulfilment centre, Skygate.
Lionel Desclée, group chief executive at The Very Group, said: “Our team pulled out all the stops to deliver an amazing Christmas for the families we serve and a strong trading performance for the period.
“We recorded year-on-year growth in Very and grew market share despite the challenging backdrop. As expected, our customers prioritised toys, gifts and beauty items for their loved ones, justifying our decision to invest in stock within the category.
“Our performance was underpinned by our trusted supplier and delivery partner relationships and our highly automated fulfilment centre, Skygate, which allowed us to meet our customers’ expectations throughout the festive period.”
