Wickes sees strong first quarter sales growth
Travis Perkins has reported that first quarter like-for-like sales grew by 6% at its consumer division which includes Wickes and Toolstation.
In the three months to 31 March total sales climbed by 8.7%.
While kitchen and bathroom sales recovered against a weak comparative period, the upturn was partially offset by lower roofing and fencing sales following high levels of storm damage in early 2014.
The company said Wickes’ expanded outdoor product range had been well received by customers. In addition, online customers benefited from an enhanced click & collect service, with collection now available in one hour. The retailer also opened two new trial format stores in Chatham and Doncaster while Toolstation opened nine new shops.
Across the wider Travis Perkins group total sales rose by 7.2% while like-for-like sales increased by 5.1%.
Travis Perkins chief executive John Carter said: “The majority of our businesses performed well against strong comparators in the first quarter, driven by the investments we have made to improve our propositions in the initial stages of our five-year plan.
“The modernisation programme in general merchanting is now underway and contributed to our market outperformance. The Wickes team have built on the positive customer feedback and success of 2014 and continue to take market share. The plumbing & heating division is fully focused on its branch network re-segmentation, however the market remains challenging. The contracts division continues to grow strongly through significant market share gains.”
