Dunelm is a British homewares and furnishings retailer founded in 1979 by husband and wife Bill and Jeany Adderley. The business has been transformed as a result of the acquisition of the Worldstores Group – comprising the Worldstores, Achica and Kiddicare etail brands – towards the end of 2016, in an £8.5m deal that more than doubled the size of its online business. The main benefit from the acquisition was the access to technology and digital development capabilities. Importantly, it sees the technology platform acquired with Worldstores as a real asset. The retailer confirmed in December 2019 that it had successfully transitioned all of its customers to its new digital platform, completing the three-year technology transformation programme. This should enable the retailer to launch click and collect and improve delivery options. The retailer is also continuing to invest in staff training, including the use of tablets in store, as well as further investment in data insights to help improve the customer experience.
Dunelm’s deputy chair and biggest shareholder Will Adderley is set to reduce his stake in the company.
Home and DIY giant Dunelm has said it has “never been more confident about the future” after interim profits and sales both soared.
Halfords has delivered a rise in festive sales buoyed by the retailer’s “best ever Christmas week”, while Dunelm has posted an increase in Christmas sales driven by a surge in online demand.
Retail Week speaks to a panel of industry experts to determine which executives will be in charge of the UK’s biggest retailers over the next five years
Under the new lockdown restrictions homewares retailers Dunelm and DFS stores are not counted as essential.
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