Bensons for Beds has reported +9% LFL sales growth for the quarter to the end of March, building on a +7% LFL growth in the previous quarter, and has unveiled plans to step up its growth through further investment.
Further progress has also been made in its digital offer, with sales over the quarter in the channel growing by +32% YoY, driven by the continued investment in omnichannel capability and leadership.
Recent trading across the key Easter weeks has also continued to be encouraging.
Building on the momentum across the first half of Bensons’ financial year, the retailer says it now plans to invest significantly in expanding its retail estate over the next two years. Having remodelled its stores to reflect its retail footprint needs as a standalone business (independent of Harveys), Bensons now intends to re-enter markets and open in new catchments as it builds a network in the long-term of up to 200 locations.
In the quarter, Bensons opened new units in Erdington and Peterborough, and this month will be returning to Speke with a new store at the New Mersey Retail Park. The new store opens on Friday 21st April and will feature more than 3500 sqft of trading space and employ a team of nine, led by store manager Tracey Towers.
In February, Bensons launched a unique 2-in-1 mattress, Flip by Slumberland, which addresses growing adolescents' changing support needs, while the retailer also began activating plans to create "a sustainable future" for the eveSleep brand it acquired last autumn. Bensons says sales made through the relaunched eve website have been "encouraging", backed up by exclusive in-store models.
“This has been a quarter of real innovation and pace for the team,” says Bensons' CEO Nick Collard. “Despite the UK’s economic challenges, it’s clear our investment in our stores, online and in product innovation, is being warmly received by our customers.
“I’d like to thank the team at Bensons for their hard work moving our transformation plans forward at speed over the quarter. That momentum means we’re on track to return to deliver our plans for the year."
Bensons says it is investing significantly to build a portfolio of brands alongside eveSleep - the majority produced in-house at its manufacturing base in Huntingdon.
