Dunelm has provided an update on trading for the 13-week period ended 26th September 2026. It reports Q1 sales of £433m, up 1.1% YoY, with stronger trading in the second half of the quarter following a soft start impacted by hot weather.
Sales returned to growth of c.4% in the final seven weeks of the quarter, and the retailer saw strong performance across key categories, with Made to Measure delivering double-digit growth and Cook and Dine benefiting from refreshed ranges. It adds that the return of The Great British Bake Off also helped to inspire customers, with Cook and Dine performing particularly well in the second half of the quarter.
It notes further improvement in total customer satisfaction, strong gross margin performance (up 10bps YoY), and made progress against its strategic plans – including its store renewals programme, the rollout of RFID under way, and category trials.
Clo Moriarty, CEO, comments: “I'm encouraged by the momentum we built as the quarter progressed, following the impact of the exceptionally warm weather.
“We are making good progress with Winning Hearts & Homes, our plan to build a bigger, better and bolder Dunelm. We're taking clear actions to build a stronger customer proposition and create the capabilities needed to support our long-term growth. The early signs are encouraging and reinforce our confidence in the opportunity ahead.
“As customers turn to cosy evenings, seasonal celebrations and spending more time at home, we're looking forward to helping them enjoy those moments through our peak trading period.”
Dunelm's expectations for FY27's adjusted PBT remain unchanged, and broadly in line with FY26.
