Strong peak trading for Very.co.uk driven by growth in fashion and sports

Online retailer Very.co.uk increased retail sales by 6.1% year-on-year in the seven weeks up to and including December 27, 2019, driven by growth across all product categories, with particular strength in fashion and sports, and electrical.

The brand is owned by The Very Group, the South Liverpool-based online retailer and financial services provider, which also operates Littlewoods.com and changed name this week from Shop Direct to The Very Group as part of plans to recruit hundreds of new staff members.

Highlights included sales growth across all four product categories of fashion and sportswear (9.6%), electrical (5.7%), home (1.4%) and other categories (2.9%).

Total revenue, including financial services income, was up 3.4% year-on-year.

There were 92.5 million website visits, up 14.4% year-on-year, and strong new customer growth with new credit customers up 22% year-on-year.

Sales via the Very app up 32.3% year-on-year, and the group was among the first in the market to launch its longest-ever Black Friday promotional period (8 November to 4 December), with Very.co.uk website and app traffic up 18% compared with the previous year’s campaign.

Fashion and sports and electrical were the star categories, up 9.6% year-on-year, with sportswear up 19.8%.

Electrical also performed strongly, up 5.7% year-on-year. This was buoyed by audio, up 98.5%, and smart tech, up 8.8%.

Toys remained a strategic focus for the business and saw growth of 8.1%.

Home growth was led by home furnishings, up 11.8%.

Among the top sellers by total sales were: Apple AirPods; Nintendo Switch neon games console; and Apple Watch Series 3.

Among the top sellers by units were: Amazon Echo Dot (3rd Generation); L.O.L. Surprise! Amazing Surprise doll set; and Nike Air Max 270 trainers.

Including Littlewoods, group retail sales grew 2.5% and group revenue was flat year-on-year in the seven weeks to December 27.

On the tech front, the group used real-time browsing data to personalise emails and push notifications to provide customers with the most relevant deals for them.

It tracked on-site behaviour to send personalised emails about deals when products previously browsed were reduced in price, helping customers secure the items they wanted at the best price.

It monitored social media to understand deal types being talked about in different geographical locations and tailored outdoor digital ad content to reflect local appetite for different items.

And it introduced new features to optimise deal findability on Black Friday, including promotion indicators wherever the customer is shopping on the website or app.

During the period the group delivered 6.9 million Very.co.uk and Littlewoods parcels via delivery partners Yodel, Arrow XL and Royal Mail.

Group chief executive Henry Birch said: “Our team worked tirelessly to give our four million customers an amazing Black Friday and Christmas.

“Following a relatively subdued Autumn across the sector, I’m delighted with Very.co.uk’s strong retail sales growth during the hugely competitive festive period.

“More than at any other time, our customers value being able to spread the cost on the brands they love at Christmas.

“This year we laid on the best and most relevant deals, made them easier to find than ever before through personalised experiences, and offered even greater flexibility for when and how they were delivered.

“We’ll continue this momentum in 2020 as The Very Group, with our rebrand the latest milestone in our company’s long history.

“We’ll continue to build the best possible place to work and, through data and technology-led innovation, help even more customers say yes when it really matters.”