The Very Group sales rise 2.3% in run-up to Christmas
The home and beauty category jumped 15% YoY, toys, gifts and beauty increased 7.3%, meanwhile fashion and sports rose 2.9% YoY, or 11.2% excluding Nike
The Very Group retail sales rose 2.3% year-on-year during the seven weeks to 27 December 2024.
Excluding Nike, Very UK and Group retail sales grew by 4.5% and 2.8% year-on-year respectively.
Across this period, the home and beauty category jumped 15% YoY, toys, gifts and beauty increased 7.3%, meanwhile fashion and sports rose 2.9% YoY, or 11.2% excluding Nike.
The group said that games consoles, perfumes and pillows were among the best-selling items, with Lego and air fryers also performing well.
On the back of this “strong” peak trading and progress, the group expects Q2 FY25 adjusted EBITDA growth of 16%-18%.
Robbie Feather, group CEO at The Very Group, said: “We’re delighted with our strong peak trading performance, which has been made possible thanks to the determination of our brilliant team who focus on helping families get more out of life, all while continuously enhancing the online shopping experience.
“By bringing together our amazing assortment of products with compelling deals and our best-in-class fulfilment operation, we delivered growth in almost all categories, with games consoles, air fryers and perfume among our best sellers. Customers left shopping later this year but when the time came, they made the most of our offering, with this momentum carrying on into our Boxing Day and January sales.”
He added: “Looking ahead, we remain focused on the rest of 2025 which we expect will remain highly competitive. We are confident that our proposition, which combines multi-category digital retail and flexible ways to pay, will continue to be valued by our customers, providing them with a one-stop-shop for everything they need.”
