Dunelm sees growth
Furniture, flooring and homewares chain Dunelm has seen sales growth despite a drop in footfall.
The 124 store chain had sales of £154.1m in the quarter to 31 March, a rose of 10.7% and a like for like rise of 0.6%.
'Although we saw strong store performance in January and growth in multi-channel revenues throughout the quarter, these were partially offset by more depressed store footfall patterns in February and March,' says Nick Wharton, Dunelm chief executive.
'Our focus on the development of our Simply Value for Money proposition and growth both through new stores and through our multi-channel offering has seen Dunelm achieve a solid sales performance in what remains a very demanding retail environment.
'It is prudent to remain cautious about the wider economy and, recognising its impact on consumer confidence, we will maintain our disciplined approach to the management of gross margin and operating costs. However with a clear growth strategy and strong pipeline of new stores ahead we remain confident in the future prospects for the business.'