Improved click & collect service lifts Debenhams revenues
Revenues at department store chain Debenhams have been given a lift courtesy of a range of new online delivery options; including next day click & collect and a 10pm cut-off for next day deliveries to the home.
This improved service powered growth of 22.1 per cent across the stores click and collect services in the half year to 28 February 2015, with premium next day deliveries now accounting for nearly half (49 per cent) of all orders from last minute shoppers in the run up to Christmas.
This helped to push group like-for-like sales up by 1.3 per cent with profit before tax up 4.3 per cent at £88.9m.
Michael Sharp, chief executive of Debenhams, said: "I am pleased with the good progress we have made against the strategic priorities we set out last year. We have improved our multi-channel offer and successfully introduced the premium delivery options that we promised for the important peak period, which met with a positive response from our customers.
“Overall we delivered a good first half performance despite a difficult clothing season in autumn and we are on track to achieve full year expectations.”
Debenhams also reported strong growth in online sales of 12.7 per cent, taking the sector up to 17 per cent of the retailer’s gross transaction value – with mobile accounting for 42 per cent of these sales.