Currys ‘goes big’ on Black Friday and unveils on-demand delivery service

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Currys will “go big” on Black Friday this year and is to launch an on-demand delivery service later this month.

Currys chief executive Alex Baldock said the retailer would run the promotion over a few weeks. He said Currys’ ability to mount a Black Friday offensive was a testament to its market-leading position and relationships with key suppliers, which had allowed it to navigate some of the global supply chain challenges which have afflicted retailers.

He expected to deliver a “robust” peak trading performance, including the Black Friday period.

Currys will launch an on-demand delivery service in partnership with Uber. The venture marks a significant extension of on-demand into non-food retail – the growing trend has been spearheaded by grocers.

The pilot will begin from 15 of the retailer’s London stores and will focus on small products such as chargers and print cartridges that may be needed urgently. Items should be delivered in as little as 30 minutes. The test will run for three months and a decision will then be taken on whether to extend it.

Currys chief operating officer Mark Allsop said: “The world has shifted to a hybrid way of working and more customers are demanding greater convenience and speedier delivery to get their hands on tech.

“As the number one tech retailer, we want to make it easy to shop, for all of our customers. We want customers to get products in their hands and homes as soon as they want them. This new ‘from store to door’ delivery pilot with Uber is the next step in our exciting omnichannel journey.”

Currys, formerly Dixons Carphone, reported like-for-like sales up 11% on a two-year basis in its core UK market n the first six months of its financial year. Year on year, there was a 3% decline.

Online retailer Marks Electrical has floated on AIM today. The IPO riaed £30m which will be used to finance growth plans, and the business was capitalised at £115m.