Angling Direct on track for the year after record Black Friday week

Fishing tackle and equipment retailer Angling Direct said on Tuesday that it was on track to meet its full-year expectations following a record Black Friday performance.

In an update for the period from 1 August to 30 November, the company said sales rose 31.5% to £14.57m, with in-store like-for-like sales up 7.2% to £4.96m and e-commerce sales up 24.3% to £6.71m.

International sales rose 96.1% during the period and 97.7% in November, underpinned by the new German language website and the group said it was on track to launch its dedicated websites for the French and Benelux markets by the end of the year.

The retailer said it enjoyed a record e-commerce performance during Black Friday week, which ran from 19 to 26 November, with sales up 55.8% to £1.3m. Black Friday transactions increased 42.5% to 14,123 and the average basket during the week was up 9.4% to £91.73.

Group sales for November were up 19.3% to £3.35m, with in-store LFL sales 2.5% higher and e-commerce sales up 16.3%.

Chief executive officer Darren Bailey said: "The company has taken great encouragement from the recent performance against the backdrop of a difficult retail trading environment. As the business launches its new international websites and continues to invest in its stores and overall customer experience, we believe that Angling Direct remains well placed to build on its market leading position."

At 0910 GMT, the shares were up 0.1% to 82.06p.