Freemans sales jump 5% during Christmas

Freemans, the digital department store, announced today (30 January) a strong Christmas trading with continued growth. Sales figures for the eight weeks to 31 December 2023 rose 5% when compared to the same period last year and were set against a challenging backdrop for the retail sector for this Christmas. Freemans bucked the wider trend with recent reports from the Office of National Statistics showing a slump in retail in December as sales plummeted 3.2% when compared to the previous month. The on-line retailer shared that homewares and electricals were up 14%, partywear up 4% and Christmas decorations rose by 29% as it identified a new ‘tree in every room’ customer trend for the very first time. In addition, over 60% of the products featured within it Made You Look Christmas TV all sold out including perfumes, bedding, soft furnishings and a ‘sparkling’ red Smeg Kettle. Freemans also shared that Black Friday/Cyber Week was up 8% on the year. Earlier in the season Freemans announced that it would be dropping its catalogue for the first time in its 118-year history, while at the same time revealing a new on-line look and feel that would be used across all its owned channels and paid for marketing called Made You Look. The announcement and subsequent above the line execution delivered an increase in visits to its website of 23%. The end of season sale also finished two weeks earlier than last year allowing the digital department store to go into the new season with full price hooked around its exclusive OTTO sourced parent company’s value range called bonprix. Ann Steer, CEO of Freemans, said: “The last quarter was one of the toughest I can recall, with continued pressures on the customer’s purse. As such I am delighted with the strong growth that we have delivered over Black Friday and Christmas. Sales were so encouraging that it allowed us to come out of sale earlier than last year and start the new season focusing on full price rather than discounting clearance. “Our announcement to drop the catalogue, something that in the past has been central to both our business and firmly embedded within the nation’s shopping habits for over a century, was very clearly the right thing to do with customers old and new responding well to our digital first approach. Steer concluded: “I would like to thank all my colleagues for a job really well done, set against a challenging wider economic backdrop that we believe will continue over the course of 2024.”

Freemans sales jump 5% during Christmas

The on-line retailer shared that homewares and electricals were up 14%, partywear up 4% and Christmas decorations rose by 29%

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