When Will Adderley took back the reins as chief executive at home and furniture group Dunelm he had a single overriding priority.

“Our focus is now emphatically on growth,” was how he put it at February’s interims when he set out his strategy.

Last week’s third-quarter update provided reassurance that the plan has got off to a good start.

Total like-for-like growth of 4.9% surpassed expectations to deliver sales of £190.3m in the period. Overall sales climbed almost 11% to £216m.

Unsurprisingly home delivery growth was strongest, up 40%, and Dunelm is determined to build that business – a new web platform will launch in the next few months.

Perhaps more surprisingly in the light of that, Adderley remains a great advocate of the traditional shop. The aim is to expand the 148-store estate to 200.

In February he set a target of increasing group sales by 50% in the “medium term” and he expects half of that to come from stores – improving sales densities in existing branches as well as opening new ones.

He said there would be “renewed focus” on the shops and like-for-like growth would be a “key strategic performance measure”.

As well as improved product selection and range development, he pledged to make more of “the treasure-hunt excitement that we used to possess, as well as the inspiration we can offer through really strong merchandising and display techniques”.

Pivotal or performance

On the evidence of the third quarter, Dunelm’s shops did the business.

Store like-for-like growth came in at 2.9%, playing a key part in delivering the consensus-beating like-for-like total.

The retailer flagged the benefit of an especially strong winter Sale and, despite warning of a “traditionally volatile” summer trading period to come, sounded confident of generating continued sales growth in the final quarter.

Retail is changing rapidly and a multichannel offer is increasingly seen as essential. Dunelm has that.

But Adderley’s re-emphasis of the role of the store shows that he continues to see it as pivotal to performance and appeal.

As the industry feels its way amid channel shift, it will be fascinating to follow Dunelm’s progress.

The share price reaction since last week’s update indicates investors believe there’s life in the old-fashioned shop yet.