The Very Group has credited the success of its toys, gifting and beauty categories for driving “strong” Christmas results as sales rise in a “challenging market”.
The Very Group posted a 3.4% increase in total UK retail sales year on year for the seven weeks to December 22, 2023, while group sales, which include Littlewoods and Very Ireland, were also up 2.1% for the period.
In the product categories, the online retailer’s toys, gifting and beauty revenue jumped 8.8%; electricals were up 7.4%.
Very’s home sales for the period dropped 2.9% year on year, while fashion and sports also dropped 3.9% despite “good growth” across its premium fashion offering which jumped 14.7%.
Very said its performance in the UK was “consistently ahead of the UK online non-food retail market,” reflecting growth in market share across the period.
The PlayStation 5, Ninja Foodi Max Dual Zone air fryer, Marc Jacobs perfumes and Barbie Dream Boat toy were among the retailer’s bestsellers during the golden quarter in which gaming consoles and perfumes dominated.
The Very Group chief executive Lionel Desclée said: “Our team delivered a brilliant range of products, strong pricing, an engaging new marketing campaign, and an improved online experience to give families everything they needed this Christmas.
“As expected in the current economic climate, consumers were on the lookout for amazing deals. We served these to existing customers and plenty of new customers during our Black Friday campaign with games consoles, wireless earbuds and perfume among our best sellers.
“While we are pleased with these results, we also know that the year ahead will be challenging for all retailers. However, our operating model, which combines multi-category digital retail and flexible ways to pay, will remain resilient and continue to provide families with a one-stop shop for everything they need.”
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