Sports Direct and AO World both this week unveiled online sales that had grown by more than a quarter.
Sports equipment and clothing retailer Sports Direct said turnover from online grew by 26.8% to £335.4m in the year to April 27, compared to the same time last year, and now represents 17.1% of all sports retail sales.
Meanwhile, electrical goods retailer AO World, which trades through ao.com, in an interim management statement, reported like-for-like sales up by 30% in the three months to June 30.
In its results, Sports Direct said some 46.5% of online sales were now made to non-UK customers, and these sales represent 48.2% of the online contribution to the business. The company also said that 25% of visits to the Sportsdirect.com website came via mobile devices. Improvements to the mobile site included supporting more language and currency options, while the company is also developing multichannel services including click and collect, expected to be rolled out in the UK this autumn.
Across the business, revenues grew by 23.8% to £2.7bn, while pre-tax profits grew by 15.6% to £239.5m. The company now aims to deliver earnings before interest, tax and asset writedowns of £360m in its current financial year.
Sports Direct chief executive Dave Forsey said: “We have delivered another record year of out-performance, especially within our sports retail division. This success is underpinned by our core strategy, offering our customers a wide range of products which represent exceptional quality and unbeatable value.”
In its statement, AO World said it now had office and warehouse space in the Cologne area, where it was recruiting and training German staff ahead of the launch of ao.de. It is also working to develop its presence in the TV market after introducing the new product category in May.
