Briscoe Group has revealed unaudited full-year sales revenue of $744.4 million for 52 weeks to January 30, a new company record 

Group sales rose 6 per cent with its homewares stores rising 4.93 per cent and its Rebel Sport division up 8 per cent. Online sales soared 21 per cent year on year. Those figures are even more significant considering last year’s fiscal year comprised 53 weeks. Factoring that in, the comparable sales increase was 7.97 per cent

Unaudited sales for the fourth quarter were at $247.6 million which is 0.22 per cent under compared to last year’s final quarter, which included an extra week. 

MD Rod Duke described the final quarter as outstanding in the face of “the turmoil, uncertainty and continuing disruption of the pandemic”.

“Retail sales last year were still flying high from the retail recovery post the first national lockdown. The Auckland stores were shut for the first nine days of this quarter,” he said.

Duke added that the company focused on ensuring the business had sufficient inventory to satisfy demand during the disruption. “With the uncertainty around national and international supply chains, we committed to a strategy of securing product often months in advance of traditional timings, to minimise widespread and wide-reported, supply chain disruptions.”

This helped the company’s results during Black Friday and Christmas promotional events amid the fourth quarter.

Encouraged by its success online, the group is looking to invest in both e-commerce and store-fulfilment teams.

“We now expect a full-year net profit after tax of approximately $87 million, around 20 per cent above last year,” he said.

The group will announce its final, audited results, including dividends, on March 16.