Screwfix sales grew by almost a quarter in the first quarter of its financial year thanks to its “leading omnichannel capability”, parent company Kingfisher said today.
The company said new and extended ranges and 10 new branches also helped Screwfix’ performance in the quarter to April 30 2016. Total sales at the trade equipment supplier came in at £301m, up by 23.5% on the same time last year, while like-for-like sales, which strip out the effect of those openings, grew by 16.2%. Screwfix, an Elite retailer in IRUK Top500 research, has grown quickly in recent years thanks to a multichannel approach that has driven the use both of mobile commerce and click and collect in its market.
Sister company B&Q , a Leading retailer in that research, saw total sales of £951m, down by 4.3% on last time, reflecting 40 store closures to date out of a planned 65, while like-for-like sales were up by 3.6%. Sales of seasonal items were down by 14.3% but those of non-seasonal items grew by 7.3%.
The two businesses make up the UK & Ireland division of Kingfisher, where overall first quarter sales of £1.2bn were 1.2% ahead of the same time last year – or by 6.2% on a like-for-like basis.
Across the group, which trades in France as Castorama and Brico Dépôt and also has a presence in countries including Poland, Russia and Spain, group sales of £2.7bn were 2.3% of last time, or 3.6% ahead on a like-for-like basis.
Kingfisher chief executive Véronique Laury hailed the group’s progress in its move towards a single underlying operation across all brands. The group said that B&Q now had a unified IT platform in all its stores, while work to add the back office and supply chain was now underway.
Laury said the first-quarter figures represented a “solid start to the year”. She added: “I am pleased with the early progress we are making on our operational milestones for this year, the first year of our ambitious five-year plan. We continue to feel confident in our ability to deliver our plan, based on putting customer needs first, supported by the expertise and enthusiasm of our colleagues.”
