Including Mothercare reporting a healthy uplift in Q4 like for like UK sales.
The Source rounds up some of the key retail stories of the week.
Mothercare has reported an increase in UK like for likes for its fourth quarter, up 4.5% for the 11 weeks to March 25. Total sales rose 3.2% during the period, while online sales were up 13.6% – meaning they now account for 41% of total sales.
Meanwhile, ASOS reported a pre-tax profit of £27.3 million (+14%) for the six months to February 28. Retail sales soared 38% during the period (+31% on a constant currency basis), with UK sales up 18%. The fashion e-tailer also passed the five million active customer mark in the UK.
The Entertainer has added another store to its growing international portfolio with existing franchise partner, the SEFAM Group in Lahore, Pakistan. SEFAM has already successfully launched four other stores in Lahore and one in Islamabad.
John Lewis suffered a dip in sales of 6% to £78.3 million in the week to April 1. Fashion sales grew by 3% – helped by womenswear (+5.3%), while the launch of the new And/Or denim brand helped women’s casualwear notch up the biggest uplift in the category. Home slipped 3.7%, although home accessories and gifts grew 12.4%. Electricals and home technology sales were down 15.6%.
The Springboard footfall index for week 13 of the year has shown a 3.1% lift across the UK. High streets were a clear winner – with footfall up 3.9% – although retail parks (-4.7%) and shopping centres (-4.8%) both dropped.
Amazon Business has launched in the UK, with over 100 million products available for supply. A vast array of products – from laptops and office supplies through to lab equipment – are available through the business division, with its opening also creating 5,000 new permanent jobs.
The UK division of Boots reported a 0.7% rise in retail like of like sales in the three months to February 28. Strong Christmas trading was attributed for the slightly increase – however this was offset by a drop in sales for the retailer’s UK pharmacy arm, down 5.2%.
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