Dixons Carphone has released its trading update for the 10 weeks ended 5 January 2019, reporting a “solid” peak trading performance with “record sales against a tough backdrop”.
Group like-for-like revenue was up one per cent for the period and UK & Ireland electricals like-for-like sales were up by two per cent. Other highlights include share gains across all categories online and instore, offsetting market decline, and international like-for-like revenue up five per cent.
Record peak sales across all categories were driven by Small Domestic Appliances, Smart Tech, Vision and Gaming. The company also reported of growth online of eight per cent over the period and year-to-date 28 per cent of total sales.
Internationally, it was a “record” Black Friday and peak period with particular strong performances in Consumer Electronics, Major Domestic Appliances, Gaming and Mobile.
“Peak trading was solid and in line with expectations, producing record sales against a tough backdrop,” commented Alex Baldock, Group Chief Executive. “We continued to grow our leading electrical market positions in all territories, online and instore. Overall, our Peak trading was disciplined and well-executed, with stable gross margins.
“In UK electricals we grew sales, despite a challenging backdrop and a declining market. Sales were strong in all categories, with standout performances in TV (where we drove the supersizing trend), Smart Tech and Gaming. And our increased investment in colleagues produced an easier end-to-end customer experience, with improved availability and satisfaction. Our International business, which accounted for almost 40 per cent of our sales, also produced an excellent performance, with Sweden, Denmark and Greece particularly strong.
“We continue to make good early progress with our long-term plans to deliver more engaged colleagues, more satisfied customers and a more valuable business for shareholders. It will take time and much hard work to unleash the true potential of this business, but we’re on with it. I owe a big thank you to 42,000 capable and committed colleagues for all their tremendous hard work to deliver this resilient Peak performance while getting our transformation underway.”
