• Like-for-likes jump 14.7% in six weeks to January 3 
  • Total sales soar 28.6%
  • Online revenues up 49.2%

Mountain Warehouse has revealed a 14.7% jump in like-for-likes over Black Friday and Christmas and aims to open 15 more UK stores this year.  

Total sales jumped 28.6% in the six weeks to January 3, boosted by online revenues soaring 49.2%.

The outdoor gear specialist’s boss, Mark Neale, told Retail Week that Black Friday had been “very good”, but the pre-Christmas period was “softer”.

Post-Christmas Neale said trading was “very strong”.

He said the business, which has more than 200 UK stores, had been boosted by offering more premium ranges that are attracting a more affluent customer base. “We are selling a lot of higher price gear and have a lot of products that sell for over £100,” he said.

While other retailers appear to have been affected by the threat of terrorism, Neale said Mountain Warehouse had avoided the impact. “We have more shops in the Lake District than we do in London,” he said.

Neale said he is eyeing up to 15 new UK stores this year. “We have a long list of places we’d like to be, but there’s a lot of affluent market towns that are fully let.”

The company also launched a new sister chain, Zakti, in November, selling sports kit for women. Neale said initial trading was going “very well” with a third store opening in Reigate, Surrey next month.

 

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