The retailer achieved a strong performance, with Very UK retail sales up 3.4% year-on-year and toys highlighted as a category driver.
The Very Group has announced its Christmas and Black Friday period trading results for the seven weeks to 22nd December 2023. Very UK retail sales grew +3.4% year-on-year, supporting group retail sales growth of +2.1% year-on-year. Very UK’s performance was consistently ahead of the UK online non-food retail market and represents growth in market share during the period.
The success or otherwise of the toy department can have a significant affect on sales, and, once again, toys, gifts and beauty (+8.8% YoY) and electrical (+7.4% YoY) were highlighted as standout categories. The Barbie Dream Boat was singled out as a top seller.
Lionel Desclée, Group CEO at The Very Group, said the team delivered a brilliant range of products, strong pricing, an engaging new marketing campaign and an improved online experience to give families everything they needed this Christmas. “As expected in the current economic climate, consumers were on the lookout for amazing deals,” he commented. “We served these to existing customers and plenty of new customers during our Black Friday campaign.
“Whilst we are pleased with these results, we also know that the year ahead will be challenging for all retailers,” he added. “However, our operating model, which combines multi-category digital retail and flexible ways to pay, will remain resilient and continue to provide families with a one-stop-shop for everything they need.”
Very UK’s performance was ahead of the online non-food retail market and represents growth in market share during the period.
Including Littlewoods and Very Ireland, Group retail sales grew +2.1% YoY.
Very unveiled a new brand platform: ‘Let’s make it sparkle’ – via a Christmas campaign that introduced the retailer’s new brand characters, the flamboyant flamingos. Kantar ranked Very’s Christmas ad as the retailer’s most successful to date and the second most persuasive Christmas ad of 2023 across all industries.
A statement from the company read: “Thank you to our Very teammates for pulling out all the stops to deliver a fantastic festive season for the families we serve.”
