Housewares stockist Dunelm’s total sales for the 13-week period ending 26 December 2020 were up 11.8%, reflecting very strong growth, despite store closures during the period. Good news for gift and home suppliers was that homewares remained buoyant, with stores performing significantly ahead of the market when they were allowed to open.
“Beyond this near term uncertainty, we’ve never felt more confident about the future,” states Nick Wilkinson, Dunelm’s chief executive officer. “Our scalable proposition combines an in-store and digital offer which, with agile technology, we will continue to develop at pace. As our homes play an increasingly important role for all of us, we are well placed to build even closer relationships with our customers and extend our market leadership.”
Dunelm’s online home delivery business has more than doubled since the same period last year, with enhanced digital capabilities and ramped up operational capabilities. Plus, Click & Collect has remained popular with customers.
Although the supply of goods from Asia was disrupted by port operations and global container shortages during the quarter, typical delays are now two to three weeks, with Dunelm expecting to rebuild stock levels during the second half of the year.
On the gift front, store colleagues organised a campaign in December to ‘Deliver Joy’ in the form of personalised Christmas gifts for the most vulnerable in their local communities, with over 18,000 gifts delivered. The campaign spread organically across social channels with a reach of over 84m and 786 shares.
Top: Dunelm is looking ahead with confidence.
