WHSmith Christmas sales rise despite high street decline
WHSmith has reported a rise in total sales over the festive period, however like for likes slipped as the retailer’s strong travel performance was dampened by a fall in high street revenue.
The general merchandise retailer posted a 7% rise in total revenue in the 20 weeks to January 18, while like-for-like sales slipped 1%.
Across WHSmith’s travel division revenue climbed 19% bolstered by recent acquisitions InMotion and Marshall Retail Group, while like-for-likes rose 3%. Excluding its recent acquisition overall revenue increased 5% during the period.
The retailer said its UK business “saw good sales growth across all of our key channels with strong sales per passenger driven by our initiatives and ongoing investment”, with gross margins in line with expectations.
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