The Very Group, which operates digital retailers Very and Littlewoods, has reported Very UK revenue increased 0.7% to £1.84bn, but the Group was hit by the “challenging environment” with revenue down 1.0% to £2.13bn.
Robbie Feather, CEO at The Very Group, said: “In a challenging environment, our results reflect a resilient retail performance that remained ahead of the UK online non-food market, as well as a continued strong Very Finance performance.
“This top line resilience coupled with our continual focus on strong cost management, has driven robust earnings growth in the year. Our results are thanks to the inherent strength of our business model and our loyal and growing customer base. This is underpinned by the tireless work of our people and the benefits of our customer focused investment.
“We are relentlessly focused on our customers’ needs and are adept at continuous transformation to make sure we meet and beat their expectations. We continue to invest in finding new ways to serve our customers, enhancing their shopping experience and giving them access to our wide range of products covering almost every area of life.”
A company profile in the UK Top500 looks at the flagship brand of the Group, especially Very’s focus on the customer experience and in technology investment.
Recent upgrades range from AI-powered product discovery on its mobile apps and website to virtual make-up try ons. These build on existing infrastructure that includes its automated Skygate distribution centre.
The online department store is a digital native brand from a company whose roots go back to 1861 and that first prospered in mail order catalogue era.
Customers can explore the Very website through dropdown search suggestions or navigate its departments – men’s, women’s and children’s clothing to toys, homewares and beauty products. Navigational filters help shoppers to narrow down the range and Very has as lot of these, from brand and price to sleeve length or display size.
From the category page, shoppers can add a product to their favourites list and see its star rating, stock status and an image. On the product page, they can see a choice of images, whether there’s a discount and delivery options, including free standard delivery when they spend at least £30. Premium delivery options include next-day and nominated-day, while collection is available through a Yodel network store or a Post Office branch. Returns are free within 28 days via store drop-off.
Very appears to be working to reduce returns by showing on its product page whether an item is true to size. The size and fit are also described in detail, as are materials and care instructions.
Read the full company profile in the RetailX UK Top500, where Very is ranked Top100.
The Very profile is just one of eight in this 54-page look at the UK retail sector. Amazon, Ikea, Next, Asda, Boden, Richer Sounds and Dunelm are also profiled, alongside an exclusive interview with Sue Harries of Elite retailer Screwfix.
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