Multichannel growth has powered an improved set of financials for Debenhams, the department store chain announced today.
During the first half of its FY (six months up to end of February), click and collect grew by 22.1%, and in the seven days leading up to Christmas, premium next-day deliveries accounted for 49% of all orders.
Online sales in the period 10 December to 10 January were up 28.9%, supported by a broader set of delivery and collection options, the company said, which also operated well over the peak Black Friday period.
Online sales of £271.8m were 12.7% up in the six months to 28 February compared with the previous year, with 42% of online orders coming via mobile devices. Pre-tax profits of £88.9m were 4.3% up on last time, while like-for-like sales were 1.3% ahead.
Michael Sharp, CEO of Debenhams, said: “We have improved our multichannel offer and successfully introduced the premium delivery options that we promised for the important peak period, which met with a positive response from our customers.
“Looking forward, our customers tell us they are feeling a little more optimistic about the economic outlook, but they remain cautious. Accordingly we are continuing to plan prudently in the near term, while remaining focused on our strategic priorities, and are continuing to invest to ensure that our business is well-positioned to drive sustainable growth in the longer term.”
