Dunelm to open up to 10 more stores by the end of the year
Dunelm has said it is on track to open between five and ten superstores by the end of its 2025 financial year.
The home furnishings retailer – which opened six stores in the last financial year – said the openings would be broadly split between smaller and larger sites.
The retailer is also preparing to open its first store in inner London at Westfield London before the end of 2024. The 4,500 sq ft store will look to utilise the high-footfall location to expand the brand’s reach in the capital.
In July, the retailer said has said it saw “significant opportunity” for the 2025 financial year, as it was “increasingly confident” in its smaller format stores.
This comes as Dunelm releases a trading update for the first quarter of the 2025 financial year, during which it recorded total sales of £403m, a year-on-year increase of 3.5%.
During the quarter – which comprised the 13-week period ending 28 September – the retailer saw an uptick in digital sales as a proportion of total sales to 37%, up by 2 percentage points compared to last year.
The retailer said that despite some positive lead consumer indicators, it is still seeing volatile trading conditions. However, Dunelm believes that it continued to gain market share in the quarter.
Nick Wilkinson, chief executive officer of Dunelm, said: “We have delivered robust sales growth over the first quarter, offering a wide range of products for the home, at outstanding value, and this continues to resonate with new and existing customers. As ever, relevance is central to our offer and we were delighted by the success of our largest student campaign yet, which was well received by customers seeking out bright and stylish designs.
“We continue to make good progress against our strategic plans. Later this year, we will bring our specialist proposition to inner London for the first time, opening at Westfield London. We’re excited about this and our wider opening programme, with five to ten new superstores planned per year over the medium term.
“Whilst we are yet to see meaningful change in underlying consumer sentiment in our markets, we remain focused on our plans. We believe we have continued to gain market share and, with continued strategic progress, remain confident in our ability to reach our next market share milestone of 10% in the medium term.”