Dunelm Mill’s gross margin fell by 180 basis points as a result of the acquisition of the lower-margin Worldstores business, which includes Kiddicare and Achica DUNELMThe chairman of Dunelm claimed yesterday that the homewares seller was “well on the way to becoming a genuine multi-channel retailer” after it reported strong sales over the Christmas period. Andy Harrison also looked past recent turmoil at the top of the business to a future in which it was “well positioned to deliver good full-year profit growth”. Dunelm, which sells bedding, curtains and kitchenware, said that like-for-like sales had risen by 3.4 per cent to £255 million in the second quarter, a period that includes the key weeks to December 30. Sales rose by 6 per cent for the half-year to £469.3 million, driven in part by strong demand for children’s products such as rocking unicorns. Online sales rose by 30.5 per cent in…

Source: The Times January 17, 2018 00:00 UTC