Dunelm posts 12.5% sales uplift

Sales at value homewares group Dunelm jumped 12.5 per cent to£354.7 million, the store group revealed in its first set of preliminary results as a listed company.

Dunelm posted a like-for-like sales increase of 6.1 per cent for the year to 30 June. Pre-tax profit was down slightly to£37.8 million, from£38 million the previous year, but rose 7.8 per cent to£41 million on an operating basis.

Chief executive Will Adderley said: “We have invested significantly in our warehousing and IT infrastructure, the pipeline of new store opportunities looks very promising and we continue to strengthen our product offering across our categories. All of this is encouraging for the present year.”

In the 11 weeks to September 15, Dunelm generated like-for-like sales growth of 7 per cent.

Adderley added: “We are very pleased by the like-for-like sales growth in recent weeks. At the same time, we are naturally cautious about the outlook for the next few months, given the uncertainty over the state of consumer demand. However, the business is in excellent shape and we will be working hard to ensure that our offer remains as compelling for customers as ever.”

Dunelm listed on the London Stock Exchange in October last year and has a market capitalisation of more than£350 million at present.