Discount chain, B&M, and nursery and maternity retailer, Mamas and Papas, have reported an increase of sales in the run up to Christmas. The latter announced a rise of 11% over the festive period, with Black Friday seeing the company surpass its best day of online trading by 29%. The company attributed some of the boost in sales to the newly released Ocarro stroller whilst adding that personal shopping, which sees specialised staff aiding customers in-store, now accounts for 10% of their store sales.
B&M announced a 7.2% rise in sales in the 3 months up to December 24th, compared to flat growth in the same period last year. Some outlets stated that this may be a sign that British consumers were now looking to bargain items in response to the drop in the value of the pound. Chief executive of B&M, Simon Arora, commented that the company “demonstrated the strength, relative appeal and popularity of our model at a time of uncertainty for consumers generally and continuing structural change in the retailing sector”.
