DUNELM has lowered the price of 1,000 products since the summer as the home furnishings store passes on lower shipping costs to shoppers.
Retailers had been hit since the start of the pandemic with the increasing price of transporting goods from factories in Asia to shops in Britain.
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In the latest sign that inflation is finally easing here, boss Nick Wilkinson said: “Dunelm is keen to pass on cost-reduction to help customers through the colder months, offering everyday low value.”
Consumer price inflation is at 4.6 per cent, according to the latest official figures — down from 6.7 per cent in September.
Dunelm, which has 182 shops across the country and 11,000 employees, has been gaining market share, offering products from a £3 bed sheet to a £56 Dorma alternative.
The average cost of a purchase is £14.
The retailer said that customers were looking for new ways to cut energy bills and it had expanded its range of “winter warmers”.
Electric blankets have leapt in popularity while it has also launched a faux fur hot water belt for £15 and a microwaveable “mono slipper” to keep feet toasty while working at a desk at home.
Sales of hoodies have risen by more than a quarter this year.
Mr Wilkinson said traditional products such as draught excluders and thermal curtains were also proving popular.
The average annual energy bill will be £2,000 this winter, cheaper than last year but £1,000 more than in 2021.
Dunelm is repeating its “Delivering Joy” campaign with Christmas trees across its stores where customers can donate a present to needy children and adults.
So far shoppers have donated almost 88,000 gifts to causes in their towns.
STILL NOT CURTAINS FOR SHOP
Analysis by Nick Wilkinson, Dunelm CEO
RIGHT now, there are over three million hard-grafting retail workers helping Brits gear up for Christmas.
It’s the most important time of year for retailers and staff will be flat out in warehouses, in trucks and vans, in tech and support teams but no more so than in stores serving shoppers.
Not long ago, in the grips of the pandemic, shops were written off as online shopping boomed.
But shops bounced back — and at Dunelm we have more stores than ever.
Our fourth new store in four months opened in Watford this week and we’re looking forward to more.
So why have shoppers resisted going purely online? In homewares, there’s an easy explanation.
Many want to see what they are buying, check the colour of the curtain, feel the bedding, sit on the chair, or stand on the rug.
Even the biggest online retailers like Amazon are opening stores because they know shoppers want them and play a role that can’t be replicated through a screen.
Most of our shops have cafes and at all our stores customers can drop off some recycling, collect an order, get practical and decor advice, and get inspiration from browsing.
But it goes much further than that — the best stores provide connections for the local community.
Our local social media pages bring shoppers to our stores and build on our history of growing by word of mouth.
SPORTS A WIN FOR FRASERS
BETTER relations with Nike and Adidas are paying off for Sports Direct as Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group recorded a rise in profits.
The retail empire has shrugged off wider gloom with a 4 per cent hike in sales.
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Frasers said it was helped by a “strong performance” at the core Sports Direct business.
Michael Murray, chief exec and Mr Ashley’s son-in-law, said he saw the “fly wheel starting to spin” with greater access to premium trainers and brands such as The North Face and On Running.
He said there were talks on how to work strategically with Boohoo and Asos, which Frasers Group has been building a stake in.
And he did not rule out further takeovers.
ALDI is bumping pay rates, with all workers earning at least £12 an hour from February.
The minimum rate will increase by 40p an hour and store assistants will earn £12.95, while those within the M25 will be on £13.85.
The national living wage is £11.44 an hour.
BEST-PAID INVESTOR
HEDGE fund tycoon Sir Chris Hohn was paid over £1million every working day this year.
Companies House accounts reveal the TCI boss collected $346million (£276million), cementing him as Britain’s best-paid stock-picker.
The dividend is half the £574million he collected a year ago.
He is one of the UK’s biggest philanthropists, giving away £755million in 2021.
TRADING ON STARS’ FAME
COSTUMED traders at ICAP were joined by celebrities including Rachel Riley, Dame Joan Collins, Rod Stewart, Penny Lancaster, Alex Scott, Gareth Southgate . . . and Sun Business for its charity day.
The annual event has raised more than £160million since starting in 1993 with 100 per cent of the trading firm’s revenues and commissions donated on the day.
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Last year, £5million was raised in a day and this year charities including Prostate Cancer and Refuge were beneficiaries.
Icap’s senior managing director Richard Bigwood said markets were much calmer than last year but there would be a “hot potato of risk” on interest rate bets and positions going into the next general election.
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