The Very Group, which operates digital retailer Very, has announced its Christmas and Black Friday period trading results for the seven weeks to 27th December 2024.
Very UK delivered retail sales growth of +2.3% YoY, supporting group retail sales growth of +0.5% YoY. Without the impact of Nike sales (following the brand's decision to switch to a D2C model), Very UK and group retail sales grew by +4.5% and +2.8% YoY respectively.
Across this period, Home (+15.0% YoY) and Toys, Gifts & Beauty (+7.3% YoY) were the standout categories, with Fashion & Sports (+2.9% YoY, +11.2% YoY, excluding Nike) also in growth. Silentnight pillows were among the top-selling items (by volume).
On the back of strong peak trading and progress with ongoing cost initiatives, the group expects Q2 FY25 YTD Group adjusted EBITDA growth of +16-18%.
Robbie Feather, group CEO at The Very Group, comments: “Christmas is a special time for our customers, and we at The Very Group are proud to help families make the most of the festive period. 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 bestsellers.
“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.
"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.”
