Value department store The Original Factory Shop is to introduce click-and-collect and home delivery on product bought in its stores as it seeks to ramp up its multichannel operation.

Chief executive Angela Spindler said she wanted to “tie the website and stores closer together”.

She said the retailer’s strategy was to be “ultra-local and accessible” and the stores were already “embedded into their communities”. She said she wanted to build on this strategy with the online developments. No date has been set for the launch but it will be this year.

This week The Original Factory Shop reported like-for-like sales in the six weeks to December 26 were up 5%. Total sales were up 23%.

According to Retail Week Knowledge Bank, sales have more than doubled at The Original Factory Shop over the past five years, reaching £116.9m in 2009/10.

The retailer has about 160 shops in small towns, usually serving a catchment area of 20,000 people.

Spindler reiterated plans to grow by 30 to 35 stores a year and said The Original Factory Shop would continue to adhere to its small-town location strategy.

“Fuel prices have gone up 10% over the last year and people don’t know what 2011 holds so they are being cautious and shopping locally. There is less temptation than in the big high streets or malls,” she said.

“Logistically it is very challenging because we have a lot of small stores that are remotely located, but it is [what we do].”

For Angela Spindler’s comment for this week’s Retail Week click here

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