At Dixons, which is big seller of iPads, like-for-like sales in the UK&Ireland jumped 5pc over Christmas and in Europe sales rose 2pc, although there was also an 8pc drop in Greece. Group margins dropped 0.5pc. Sebastian James, chief executive, said trading from Boxing Day “took off like a rocket”, with £100,000 flowing through the tills every minute on the day after Christmas alone.
So far the headlines have been dominated by retail’s Christmas losers; today it is all about the winners. Ocado, Dixons, Argos, Homebase, Halfords and Primark have all reported strong sales over the period, in stark contrast to the dismal performance of some of the biggest names on the high street, including Marks & Spencer, Tesco and WM Morrisons.
The common – though not exclusive – theme is either strong online sales or big volumes of consumer electronics.
Via Louise Armitstead – the Telegraph’s Chief Business Correspondent
Alongside its results, Home Retail Group, the owner of Argos and Homebase, has appointed John Walden, the boss of Argos, as its new chief executive, replacing Terry Duddy who is standing down after 15 years. Like-for-like sales at Argos rose 3.8pc and at Homebase were up 4.7pc over Christmas. At Argos internet sales accounted for 46pc of the total while mobile commerce accounted for 20pc of sales. Terry Duddy has said the group now expects to achieve full year results “towards the top end” of market expectations.
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