GENERAL MERCHANDISE NEWS
Black Leisure sees strong start to year
13 July, 2004 | by Retail Bulletin
Outdoor retailer enjoying healthy sales
Blacks Leisure has seen strong demand across the start of the financial year, with group sales up by 17.5 per cent in the 19 weeks to July 10.
Like-for-like sales for the outdoor retailer, whose brands include Millets, Blacks Outdoor, Freespirit, Just Add Water and O’Neill Retail Stores, grew by 4.2 per cent.
Blacks said its overall gross margin is around 1 per cent ahead of this time last year.
Millets now trades from 256 stores and Blacks Outdoor from 76 stores. In Boardwear, Freespirit now operates from 39 stores, Just Add Water from 13 and O’Neill from 16.
The figures include eight new openings since the start of the year, with “a healthy pipeline of further new stores in place.”
