Shop Direct has reported a 4% rise in total group sales over Christmas, as the home-shopping group said Black Friday was its busiest trading day on record.
The growth in sales was driven by Very, which increased revenues by 23% in the seven weeks to December 26. However Shop Direct recorded an 11% decline in sales at Littlewoods and KandCo.com over the period.
Shop Direct said Black Friday proved to be its strongest day on record, with sales up 51% on the previous best trading day on Cyber Money in 2013. Orders at Very soared 134% on Black Friday.
The retailer also cited December 22 as a strong trading day with sales up 47%.
Over the Christmas period, mobile sales increased 45%, accounting for 56% of all online sales and up from 42% in 2013. Online visits soared by 18% to 76 million during the period.
Shop Direct said it had recorded strong growth in click and collect, with the number of orders delivered to a Collect+ store up by 112%. It delivered 160,000 items on Christmas Eve.
Bestsellers during the period were new labels Boss Orange, Juicy Couture, NutriBullet and Fitbit.
Shop Direct chief executive Alex Baldock said: “It was another record Christmas at Shop Direct and Very.co.uk once again led the charge. We continue to capitalise on the shift to mobile.
“We like Black Friday. It was huge for us and acted as a starting gun for Christmas shopping – peak came earlier than in recent years. Traders like ourselves will thrive in the environment that Black Friday creates and we’re happy that it’s here to stay.
“The highly promotional market looks set to continue into 2015. We’ll continue to make sure we’re offering customers great deals while maintaining sales and profit growth. We’ve got lots to look forward to in 2015. Our new brand, Very Exclusive, is set to democratise luxury. We’ve also got big things planned in data analytics, personalisation and financial services. Our transformation into a world-class digital retailer continues.”
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