Oak Furnitureland has defied ongoing pandemic-induced disruption and soaring inflation in freight and raw materials to post a 10% year-on-year uplift in group revenue and a return to profit.

According to the retailer’s results for the year ended 30 June 2022, group revenue stood at £275.3m, while profit was recorded as £1.8m, up from an £18.6m deficit in 2021.

The furniture giant, which traditionally specialises in solid hardwood pieces, attributed the uptick to underlying demand, an undelivered order book unwinding closer to normal levels and a focus on broadening the product proposition to create a ‘whole-home’ offer.

Sales in the 12 weeks since September 19 were up 11% on the same period last year, boosted by positive customer reaction to the acceleration of its sofa category expansion, the retailer said.

Meanwhile, inflated input costs had been mitigated through “disciplined cost control” and an “operational efficiency drive”.

Chief executive Alex Fisher described Oak Furnitureland’s performance as “resilient” and “a testament to the dedication and hard work of our colleagues across the business.”

“During the period, we successfully mitigated inflated input costs stemming from the pandemic and geopolitical events, including significant freight cost increases, local lockdowns affecting manufacturing in Asia, inflation in raw materials and a tight labour market,” he said.

“We continued to make strategic progress, investing in our strong brand and digital channels as well as our store footprint to build a sustainable platform for future growth. Current trading remains strong, and we are seeing good product availability across the business.” 

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