Findel has reported an uplift in sales driven by a strong performance across Black Friday and Christmas and rising customer numbers.

Sales at the online retailer’s subsidiary Express Gifts rose 11% year-on-year in the 42 weeks to January 19 driven by “a record Christmas sales performance”.

The number of active customers during the period hit 1.8 million, up 15%, which the business credited to its targeted marketing campaign.

Online ordering levels during Express Gifts’ third quarter averaged at 72%, up from 65% during the same period the previous year.

The proportion of purchases made by credit account customers rose 13.7% year-on-year.

Findel, which issued a profit warning last April, said its turnaround strategy was progressing well and that it was on track to deliver a full-year performance in line with market expectations.

The retailer said that although January trading had been slower than expected “the further strengthening of our online value retail proposition leaves us well-placed against the current consumer backdrop”.

Findel’s net debt at the end of the reported period was at £76.7m, down by £5.1m from the previous year.

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