Dunelm profits soar by 44% with "significant" expansion of online services

A UK home store has announced that it has seen “excellent” performance in 2021 as its profits increased by more than 40 per cent.

Dunelm, which has stores across the country, reported that profits before tax reached £157.8m, 44.6 per cent higher than 2020’s £109.1m.

The company also saw sales growth of 26 per cent on 2020, with its £1,336.2m figure also beating 2019 by 21 per cent.

It added that its digital sales grew by 115 per cent,which it said was in part due to the “significant” expansion of its Click & Collect offer.

Nick Wilkinson, CEO of Dunelm, commented: “We delivered an excellent performance in FY21, despite our stores being closed for more than a third of the year, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our business model and the adaptability and commitment of our colleagues and suppliers.

“The digital investments we had made enabled us to rapidly adapt to the changing environment and deliver strong growth and an improved customer experience.

“We are emerging from the pandemic as a stronger and better business, having transitioned from being a physical retailer with digital aspirations to being a proven, digital first, multichannel retailer.

“We have renewed purpose, bold ambitions and an increased opportunity to attract more customers and grow their frequency. We aim to be our customers’ 1st choice for home, helping everyone to create the joy of truly feeling at home, now and for the generations to come. Our business plans will deliver for all our stakeholders, and include our commitment to a Net Zero Pathway, with an absolute reduction in emissions of 50 per cent by 2030.

“Whilst the macro-outlook remains uncertain and we are seeing some industry-wide issues such as ongoing supply chain disruption and inflationary pressures from raw materials, freight costs and driver shortages, we feel well placed to continue managing these challenges.

“Trading in the first ten weeks of the new financial year has been encouraging, with growth against strong comparatives and continued market outperformance.”